Welcome back to Alchemy for Authors!
In this week’s episode I share an interview I did on the Author Revolution Podcast with Carissa Andrews in December 2023. We discuss a myriad of topics including:
- How taking inspired action has helped my author career and my podcast.
- The benefits of genre hopping.
- Cats!!!
- How to fill the creative well by stealing from real life.
- The role artificial intelligence can play in your writing career.
- Why you should consider attending local author events.
- How the Alchemy for Authors Podcast helps me to grow as a person.
- My experience with imposter syndrome and how I work through it.
The body of this episode was recorded by Carissa Andrews and first appeared on the Author Revolution Podcast, Episode 212: Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone With Jo Buer, and can be listened to here: https://authorrevolution.org/212-2/
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Find the full transcript of this episode below.
Episode 80: Inspired Action, Imposter Syndrome, & Stealing From Real Life with Jo Buer
Jo: Hello, my lovelies! Welcome to Episode 80 of Alchemy for Authors. Today’s episode is called Inspired Action, Imposter Syndrome & Stealing from Real Life. Now it’s a little bit of a different episode than I normally do in which it was actually an interview I did with the lovely Carissa Andrews for her podcast, Author Revolution. So this recording went live back in December, 2023, and you can check out the very same recording if you haven’t listened to it already, on Carissa’s podcast, Author Revolution, in Episode 212: Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone with Jo Buer.
So I have got the recording here and I’m putting it out this week simply because it has been a bit of a manic week. This has not been an easy year so far. It’s not that there’s been anything drastic and that nobody’s passed away. There are no real health issues or anything like that, but there has been what feels very much like a constant tsunami of annoying situations cropping up that have really eaten into my time, my capacity to be fully involved in my book business, and it has been incredibly frustrating. And unfortunately, I foresee this continuing for a little while longer. As over the last week or so, there have been some changes in my family’s life that impact upon finances. And so there’s a little bit of recalibrating what the rest of this year is going to look like. Hopefully a little bit better than how the beginning of this year has started.
So although I have some fantastic interviews with some amazing authors in the pipeline for you, just for my own sanity this week, I needed to choose a little bit of a less time consuming route to get something really fun out to you all. And so if you haven’t listened to my interview on Carissa’s podcast, here’s your opportunity to hear it on Alchemy for Authors.
Carissa, by the way, is a fantastic interviewer and we just talk about so much. So I am sure that even if you have heard this episode before, there are going to be some interesting tidbits and information that you might’ve forgotten or not known. So some of the things we talk about on today’s episode include things like following inspired guidance in your author career, switching genres, cats, stealing from real life, AI, local events, people hangovers, and yes, that’s a real thing, imposter syndrome, and podcasting. So we really go over a whole range of subjects here. And I highly recommend if you haven’t already, do go also check out Carissa’s podcast, her Author Revolution Podcast, because it is a goodie and as you’ll hear today, she is such a fantastic interviewer. And I think you would really enjoy that.
And if you hang around to the end of this episode too, I’ve got some special promotions just for you listening to this, so hang out for that as well. All right. So without further ado, grab a drink, find a comfy chair, sit back and enjoy the show.
Carissa: Well, hi Jo, welcome back to the Author Revolution Podcast. I’m so excited that you’re on the show again. So a lot’s happened since the last time we talked. One of the biggest ones is that you’ve obviously published a couple of titles and the most recent one though that you’ve completed, it’s a full-length novel and it’s called Hades’s Haunt and it was kind of a switch up from the things that you normally do. So I was wondering if you could explain to my audience a little bit about what makes this title different.
Jo: Yeah, sure. Well, first, thank you for having me back on. I’m just so excited to be here. I love chatting with you, so this is fun. But yeah, so I did do a little bit of a switch around. I’m used to writing Gothic Suspense, quite dark and moody and all that, and I love it. It’s so good. Well, I really enjoy it. But what I was finding is after one of my books, Unspoken Truths, it really took a lot out of me. It was quite an emotional book and because I’m a discovery writer, I don’t know what the characters are going to do until they do it. And so there were times I was in the writing process and I’m crying to my husband going, oh my gosh, I never saw this happening. And of course he thinks I’m a weirdo because I’m the author and I should have seen that. But you know, my characters went to some really dark places that I wasn’t really expecting. And it had a bit of an emotional toll. So I got to the end of that book and I was feeling quite burnt out. Even though I love the story, it just had such an emotional toll on me. And so there is a sequel to it, Broken Lies. And so I started writing that and then couldn’t quite get into it properly, even though I know the story has to be written. And I tried on and off for ages and it just wasn’t happening, but I knew that I needed to get back into that writing space somehow.
And strangely enough, when I started this writing journey and taking it seriously with writing books and that, I think 2020, I stumbled across these premade covers that were a trilogy set and they were just really cute. They had this black cat on the front and they’re all like magical and paranormal cozyish, and I had no intention to write paranormal cozy at all. I thought I was always just going to be writing dark, moody ghost stories. But I splurged and I purchased this premade set of covers without any idea what I was going to do with them. And they just sat there, you know, in my computer looking pretty for a couple of years, and then I was like, you know what, maybe my problem is I’m being too serious with my writing and I need to do something just a little bit more freeing where it doesn’t matter if it’s a complete flop. I just need to kind of get my writing mojo back.
And so, yeah, I wrote a book based on a cover I’d already purchased.
Carissa: I love that.
Jo: Yeah. And the titles were kind of unusual. So I wanted something that had that alliteration feel to it. And I’m a cat person. We’ve got four cats at the moment and we’ve had, my husband and I have had quite a few cats during our relationship. And Hades is a little black cat, that’s a bit of a rascal. And it just made sense that the black cat on the cover should be called Hades as well. So then I did everything back to front. I had the covers and then I came up with the titles. So I’ve already got the titles for the whole trilogy and no storylines. I had zero storylines. I had a vague idea for the main character who was a character that I had played around with as a secondary character in another story that never came to anything. So I kind of already knew Alice, who’s the main protagonist, and yeah, I just, I decided, well, I’m going to do everything opposite to what I normally do. I’m going to write a real magical, light, humorous, fantastical story where anything can happen. There’s going to be no swearing and sex, which is tough because I’m a bit of a sweary person but I also teach young teenagers, 12- and 13-year-olds. And they knew that I was an author and wrote books, but I’d always said to them, you can’t read my books. Just because, you know, I didn’t want those angry emails from parents and getting in trouble with the principal and stuff. But they were really wanting to read something that I’d written, which is understandable. So in a way I decided to write this book so even though it was for an adult audience, it would appeal to them too, so if they stumbled across it, read it, there was nothing that was going to get me in too much trouble. So yeah.
And then, just to make things even more challenging for myself, I like a little bit of a challenge… Although I’m based in New Zealand and my books are usually written in UK English. I was like, I’m going to base this in, you know, an imaginary place in America where I’ve barely even been and use all American English and spelling and terminology, which is a little bit different than the UK, New Zealand terminology. Yeah. So it was a lot of fun.
And I, you know, I was writing it and I thought I knew who was going to die and I thought I knew who the murderer was and neither of those eventuated.
Carissa: Isn’t that funny how it happens like that?
Jo: Yeah. But there was something really a little bit magical about this book in that because I had zero expectations, I had no idea if I could write a paranormal cozy, I never tried, it was quite freeing and so I absolutely loved the process. Like every moment. It was just fun because I’m like, sure, this can happen in this world because anything can happen in this world when there’s magic. Like, yeah, cats can magically open locked doors and do weird stuff. So I had lots of fun.
And coincidentally I had the lovely Renee Rose on my podcast and she was talking about one of her tips for manifesting abundance, and that around a book it is to really to just love your book. And there’s some reason that really, really stuck with me. And although like I, I’m using air quotes here, love my other books, there were times I really didn’t like them at all, and it was a hard slog. And once they were written, I never wanted to open them again because they were just a hard slog. Whereas Hades’s Haunt, I was really just determined to hold that fun, light, happy, loving energy around it. And I’ve now actually read it a few times since being published. I can’t even explain it, I just, I love the book and it’s shown in sales. It’s had more sales than my other books, even though it’s the only one in this genre that I’ve written. And, yeah, that’s kind of the weird story that brought me to Hades’s Haunt.
Carissa: Interesting. I love that. So a couple of things popped into my head as you were talking about this. It sounds to me as though you were open to like that inspired guidance, inspired action. So when you saw those covers, even though you had no idea why you would do anything with it, or like, if you would do anything with it, you took that inspired action and took care of those covers, made sure that they were yours. So when the opportunity presented itself you’re ready to rock and roll. That’s so, that’s cool to me. I think that’s really neat.
Jo: Yeah, it was.
So it was one of those things where in the last couple of years I was diagnosed with ADHD and so now I’m like looking at everything through the lens of, you know, was that ADHD? And I do have that knack of, you know, splurge impulsive purchases. And I honestly thought those covers were just going to be one of those things that never eventuated into anything. And yeah, but I just, I don’t know, they just had such a cool feel to them and I just love them. But yeah, but I didn’t really have any intention to write anything for it, it was really bizarre.
Carissa: Isn’t it fun when that happens. I know for me it was definitely like switching up gears. It’s the same vibe where it’s such a freeing experience to switch into a genre you’ve never written before and just see if you can do it, right? And just kind of figure it out. Like did that feel that way to you? Was it just like so freeing?
Jo: Oh, hugely freeing. I think one of the reasons I was struggling so much with writing the sequel to Unspoken Truths was because every time I thought about it, I’m like, oh, but people really liked Unspoken Truths so what if this next book doesn’t live up to that? You know? Like I was putting a lot of extra pressure on myself that it had to be of a certain standard. And so swapping genres, it was like, well, I’m going to have no expectations with this. If it doesn’t sell, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m having fun and it’s getting my kind of writing mojo going again. And it has, because right now I’m in the process of writing Broken Lies, which is the sequel to Unspoken Truths. So I’m back into that gothicky, you know, darker kind of realm. And it’s easier. It’s easier. And also, because I know that after this I will probably need to swap it up, and then I’ve got the next book in the Hades series to go to. So, you know, it’s…
Carissa: It’s kind of fun too, when you kind of go back and forth and it’s not just all dark and you’re not always in that place, you know? I think especially those of us who are kind of more into the woo, it’s hard to be in that vibe and stay there when that’s not who we really are. Like, you know what I mean? I feel the same with urban and paranormal fantasy. I love it. And I’ve loved it for a long time. But even now it’s like I’m not as excited to write it as I am the rom com, which is super interesting to me. And I’m sure that’ll shift and it’ll change back and whatever. But there is just something magical about being able to, I don’t know, change things up or do something completely different and just surprise yourself once in a while. You know?
Jo: Yeah. I honestly, I highly recommend it to anybody that feels like they’re in a bit of a rut or so-called writer’s block. I think, yeah, you just got to find something that’s going to give you permission to not care so much about what’s on the page.
Carissa: To make it no big deal. Yeah.
Jo: Yeah. So that was really, yeah, that was the best thing about it. I had no expectations and I just, I was really determined to enjoy the process. Like, I really wanted to make sure that every time I sat down to write I was in that happy space to do it. Whereas when it comes to like my Gothic Suspense stories and that, I almost want to be in a little bit of a moody, darker kind of mood, to kind of pull from that. A little bit more angsty and all that. Whereas Hades’s Haunt, I wanted to come to it with lots of love, and I’ve really been pleasantly surprised by its reception, which is really cool.
Carissa: I love that. That is so cool. So you touched on this just a little bit and we were laughing yesterday that in Hades’s Haunt, you have someone, a character who has my first name, which is something I rarely see. I think it’s amazing. I was very excited about that, so thank you. But obviously that main attraction is Hades and the fact that you’re pulling it from your cat. So I’m wondering if you could elaborate, like, was there a truce? You’ve got four cats. So why Hades? Why would you pick Hades instead of Gaia or, you know? I want to understand how this happened. There’s got to be a story.
Jo: Well, there is and there isn’t. Like, I’ve always been a cat person. We’ve always had, well, not always, but since moving to New Zealand, which was, I don’t know, maybe 12 years ago – my husband’s Canadian so we lived over there for a while – we started ending up with cats. Just, you know, like adopting cats that were kind of abandoned or just strays and things like that. And we’ve always given them cool names. So we’ve had like Loki and Odin and Rhea, and now we’ve got Gaia, Atlas, Zeus and Hades. So Hades is the newest addition and he came into our lives, gosh, at the beginning of last year. So yeah, 2022, and he’s a real character. I mean, all my cats are different characters. They’ve all got very, very, different personalities. And yeah, so the Hades in the book, he’s a little bit like the real-life Hades: very cheeky, very smart, but in a, yeah, kind of unusual way. Very much has a bit of cattitude, is what I call it, a cat with attitude, and a bit sassy. But the character in the book, he’s also an accumulation really of bits and pieces of a lot of the cats that I’ve had. So it was more that, you know, so when you think of Hades, you think of like the God of the Underworld. And I struggle to write stories that don’t have ghosts in. I’m a bit of a, you know, I love my ghost stories. And so Hades’s Haunt is the same. It’s got some spirits and stuff in there. And yeah, so Hades in real life, as much as he’s a darling, he’s also a bit of the devil as well. And if anyone’s going to get in trouble and mischief, then it’s going to be him. So, yeah. So it’s a little bit of a tribute to all my cats in a sense.
And it’s funny because I’ve had people who’ve read the book who don’t know me, don’t know me on social media, or don’t know that I’m a cat person, and they’ve written things and reviews and things like that, like, you know, I don’t know if Jo has cats in real life, but she really does know cats.
Carissa: So yeah. You’re like, I have lots of experience. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. That’s too cute. I love that so much. The book was so fun to read too, because I have actually read it. And the twist is fabulous at the end. But the whole time, especially once the ghosts do come into play, it just kept reminding me so much of the show Ghosts. Did you ever watch that?
Jo: I did, but you know what, I hadn’t thought about it until you said that.
Carissa: I love it. Like all the different characters. Yeah. It just, it’s so fun. So if you love the show Ghosts, definitely, this is a book right up your alley. It’s so cute and so funny, and the different ghosts that are in there are just, it’s cute to see all of them and their different personalities and how they interact with Alice and obviously Hades and the other characters. It’s super cute.
Jo: It is the only book that I’ve written where I actually love every character, the good and the bad. Like, I actually really love every character. But it’s so funny, isn’t it? Like, I hadn’t even thought about that program Ghosts, which I know I’ve seen, but it’s interesting how when we’re writing stories, how we do pull from so many different things, and then put our own spin on it. But we really do, from real life, from shows we’ve seen, from books we’ve read. And it’s largely unintentional. I, to be honest, like until you said yesterday, that reminded me that one of the characters is called Carissa, I had completely forgotten. And I’m like, oh no, well I hope you don’t think it was like…
Carissa: And I will say that I did notice the last name Andrews was in there as well. That was pretty cool…
Jo: Really? Who was Andrews, I can’t even remember now.
Carissa: Lucy. Lucy’s last name.
Jo: That’s so funny. You must have been in my mind when I was writing this.
Carissa: I love that. I love it. I love it. That was so funny.
Jo: Oh this, gosh, my gosh though. I don’t even remember. At the time I’m just writing. I’m like, I need a name. And it’s quite often, it’s the first name that comes to mind and there’s not much thought behind it. But there are some things, like one of the characters in the book, Christo – I had a lovely friend called Christo when I was in Canada, and physical features and that were quite similar. But of course in the book his character’s not the same. And I’m like, oh, if he ever reads this, I hope he doesn’t take offense because it’s not like actually based on him. I wouldn’t… yeah. But in a way… Yeah. I loved his name and there are aspects of him as a person that I really loved and so I put the positives in. But it is always like, oh no, I hope no one takes offense to the way my quirky brain works. And I’m just stealing from real life here and there and people’s names and stuff.
Carissa: Well, you and I were talking before we hit record here today too. It’s, you know, our brains are so powerful, like all the different people that we know, all the things that we read, it’s this accumulation of all sorts of information. And Yeah. You know, with AI, we were talking about the moral ramifications of this before we had started. And a lot of people are concerned about like it pulling from copywritten information and things like that. And personally, myself, I feel like it’s no different from using a good friend who has read a lot of books or Stephen King, your best friend, Stephen King, who’s written a lot of books and probably read more books than I’ll ever read. Like, you know, using them and brainstorming with them. It’s in my mind, at least it’s not a whole lot different, other than AI can accumulate a heck of a lot more than any of us can in one setting. But still, to me it just feels like if you use it the right way it can be a lot of fun, and it can be helpful, and it doesn’t have to be like, oh, I’m using it to write my stories, because I don’t want to lose my voice either, right?
But I just think it’s really interesting that you talking about it too, because I’m the same. I incorporate so much of what I’ve read or what I’ve seen, or, I mean, that’s kind of the whole point of reading in your genre and understanding what expectations are. I mean, it’s part of the process. And so I just find it really, a really fascinating way that we all, I mean, whether you’re using AI or using your own experiences, we as authors, we’re going to hold something new and cool based off of what we love and what we’ve read and all the things. It’s great.
Jo: Absolutely. Like, I do believe all of us writers, all of us authors, we are thieves. Like, we steal ideas and things, you know. There’s that saying, there’s no new stories under the sun, or something like that. And I talk to my students often about that too, because some of them, you know, sometimes they’ll come up with a similar idea, but the way that they write that idea into a story is going to be completely different. Their characters are going to be different. The dialogue’s going to be different. But I also have them with their writer’s notebooks pay attention to the world. Be that person who’s eavesdropping on conversations in the supermarket or in the playground and that, and jot those down, you know. We’re like the crows or magpies going around and stealing all those juicy bits that we can somehow put into our stories, and yeah. And I’m not talking plagiarism or anything like that because if we’re doing this properly, we’re putting our own spin, our own words into all this. And using AI for idea generation and that I guess is really just the same, right?
Carissa: So, yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean, I do that sort of thing all the time too. It’s like close friends are overhearing conversations. My character Jinx in the Accidental Alpha series is based off of one of my close friends and she does some crazy things and I love her to pieces, and so I’ve stolen some of the silly things that she’s done. I mean, obviously with her permission, she doesn’t mind. But it’s just so much fun to be that person who gets the inspiration from all sorts of sources, you know. It’s so fun.
Jo: It’s what I think we just, we innately do. Yeah.
Carissa: I agree. Absolutely. Yeah. So you and I were talking to that. You’ve been branching out obviously more than just genre wise lately. You’ve attended a local horror writing workshop. You’ve attended your first local book fair. I personally love in person events, whether it be book signings or, you know, where you’re just selling stuff, or whether it’s author conferences, it’s just a lot of fun for me. But what has that experience been like for you? Because if it’s new and you’re just kind of getting out there in that local sphere, I know a lot of authors are kind of a little bit freaked out about that. Were you freaked at all?
Jo: Yeah. Yeah. Completely. Utterly. Like it was such a big jump out of my comfort zone.
So, I am a huge introvert. Sometimes people don’t see me as an introvert because, you know, I’m a teacher, so I’ve got to be on all the time, and then of course, with my podcast and everything, you know, like, it’s a little bit different. You’re chatting, you’re just doing your thing. But behind the scenes, I’m a big introvert, and too much peopling – I get like people hangovers sometimes if I’m around people too much. Um, it’s a thing. And yeah. And so I’d been living this lovely little author life where, you know, I’ve got my podcast, and I’ve got my books, and I’ve got my website and, you know, connecting with people through social media, and chatting to authors all around the world and doing all this cool stuff and selling most of my books overseas.
Like New Zealand, we’re a really little country. It’s really hard to get indie published books into bookstores here. A lot of effort and not much reward for that. And so my sales and that is primarily in the US, with Canada, UK, and even Australia kind of following close behind there. And so, yeah, there was just, there was an opportunity to connect a little bit more in my local area. So I live in a city called Hamilton and there was a Hamilton book month in August and I just thought I should probably put myself out there. And, you know, nobody in New Zealand knows me, but maybe I should try and make some connections with other authors here. That’s what the cool kids are doing. I probably need to do that.
Carissa: And if nothing else, let them know about your podcast. Oh.
Jo: It’s so, it was so weird. There was so much imposter syndrome with it. And so my first little thing is I attended, uh, it was just like for three hours or a couple of hours or something, a little workshop by the author Lee Murray, who’s like, I think she’s won the Bram Stoker prize award like five times or something for horror writing. Like she’s amazing. And so it was quite an intimate little workshop. There was probably maybe 15 of us or something. And yeah, I was really, really nervous. And I’m sitting there and the first thing we’ve got to do is introduce ourselves which is like an introvert’s like nightmare to wait till your turn to say who you are. And I keep thinking in my head, okay, I’m just going to pretend I’m like on the podcast and I’m really confident in who I am. And so I’m going to say, you know, I’m Jo Buer and I’m a gothic suspense author and paranormal cozy author and have this podcast. And yeah, so I was faking all the confidence. And the woman across the table from me was like, Oh wow, so you’re like, you’re really into this? You’re really into writing. And I’m like, well, yeah, actually, yeah, yeah, I am.
But it was, it was such a weird thing because I was really feeling like I had to fake this confidence in something that I don’t feel like I fake normally. Like I feel quite confident talking about being an author and having a podcast and that in any other situation, but because it was in my local sphere, I was a little bit like, I don’t know, there was big imposter syndrome. Like, oh my gosh, people are going to find out I’m actually a fake or something. I don’t know.
But what was cool was in the workshop there were people from like at all stages. Some people who had just thought they might be interested in writing, and so wanted to learn a little bit more. There were people who had published like 40 plus books, which was just mind blowing to me. And yeah, so there were people at all different stages of writing or a writing career. And yeah, so that was my first kind of introduction and just kind of learning how lovely, actually, you know, the author community here is, which was fantastic.
And so I signed up to a local author book fair. And it was my first signing event, and I had no idea what to expect. We had to talk for, I can’t remember if it was three or four minutes, about our book, but it was very like, you’ve only got this amount of time to talk about your book. And it was my first time having a table set up and so I spent weeks of anxiety going, oh my gosh, what do you have on a table? Like, do I have enough books? Do I have too many books? Is this going to. You know, like I was overthinking everything. What to wear, what to say, um, how to sign my name. Like it was ridiculous. It was just ridiculous. And yeah. And then, so I had so much anxiety around it and thinking, oh, I’m going to be showing up with all these people who’ve done lots of book fairs before, and who am I? And, you know, and I’m like, well, I’ve got to try and invite as much family and friends as possible, because I don’t want to be that one person standing there kind of like… I’d worked in bookstores in Canada, and I always remember feeling horrible for some of the authors who would have a table set up for book signings and that, and then nobody going to their table. And I’m like, I don’t want to be that person that’s there feeling really awkward because no one’s talking to them and no one’s looking at their books.
And so I tried to invite as many people as I could. Not many of them could make it. So that was disappointing. But yeah, but it was such an amazing experience. Because as soon as I got there and set up my table and kind of looked around, I’m like, yeah, you know what, I actually do belong. Like it just… I’ve got as many books or, you know, more than some people, some people have got more than me. All of a sudden there was just some kind of, I don’t know, spark of confidence that just made me feel like, yeah, you know what? These are my people. I actually do belong here. I, you know, can claim a place here. And it was amazing.
Carissa: You would have had that. Yeah.
Jo: And there were so many amazing things that came out of it. And so if anybody is sitting on the fence of attending local author things, I highly recommend you give it a go. Because, so not only was I flat out busy, like after my talk and selling books and that, it was just one person after the other, which was amazing. It was such an awesome experience for the people that I connected with. Like there was, I met so many amazing authors. The organizer of the event actually sent an email out to all the authors that attended about my podcast, Alchemy for Authors. So I’ve been, yeah, so I’m like pretty, pretty booked out pretty much into the end of the year, which is fantastic. And other opportunities. So I’ve signed up for some larger local events for next year, which would be very cool. And yeah, I just learned a lot, but it gave me a lot of confidence.
And one of the unexpected surprises from it was I did have a few family members attend. Like my mum and my dad who aren’t together. So there was a bit of traveling, and my brother as well came, and my husband, of course. And what was interesting is that even though my mum and my dad and my husband and that had always been supportive, I think them seeing me get up and do a bit of a speech and then having this table set up with physical piles of books, ’cause I generally sell more eBooks. I guess for the likes of my brother and my husband, I think it kind of made them see me in a different light.
So my brother had never really mentioned anything about me writing books. He’d never really asked or seemed to show any interest, and I know he was quite… Yeah. And I guess, you know, maybe it’s different when you’re just talking about, oh yeah, I wrote a book, and they don’t see physical evidence or something, but yeah. I think I kind of held my own and looked like I belonged. And it was just interesting hearing like my brother going, oh my gosh, like I had no idea, and they’re like real books and you’ve got piles of them. I’m like, yes, it’s what I do.
And even my husband who, you know, he knows what goes on. He sees the crazy hours I put in and everything. There was something that I think just changed for him too, because just some of the conversations afterwards and he was like, oh, you know what, I’ll cook dinner tonight, ‘cause I know you’ve got to get back to your books, and you know. And he’s just talking about it. There was just, there was a subtle shift from I think him maybe thinking of it as more of a hobby to like, oh no, this is actually, this is a business. This is a real thing, and your career, and where you’re heading full time, like down the path. And so, yeah, so that was really interesting seeing some of those people close to me get it, I guess. Yeah. ‘Cause if you’re not an author or you’re not a writer, then I think it’s hard to actually get it. I don’t know if I’m explaining that all that well.
Carissa: I think you made that transition to realizing that you do belong there, it probably transcended to them where they could see it and feel it coming off of you to, where that epiphany kind of clicked for all of you. I think that’s cool. Yeah.
Jo: Yeah. Like, even my dad was like, oh my gosh, he’s like I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy that you just… And I’m like, well, you know, I’m a happy person. But he’s like, no, but it was something different. Like you just came alive being there. Yeah. So it was, yeah.
So getting involved in local activities with like other authors and writers and things like that, I am now just a huge advocate for it. So if anybody’s on the fence and like me and feeling a little bit nervous and imposter syndrome and that, I think just do it. Because it is amazing the doors that open and even sales have continued since then, which is crazy. Like, well, it’s not crazy. It’s amazing. I think that’s awesome. But it was a surprise to me that.
Carissa: That is so cool. So was there, like, obviously you had to pep talk yourself to get out of the imposter syndrome. Was there any tools or tricks that you kind of deployed other than just fake it till you make it? Or was that kind of like the big one where you kind of went in there going, you know, I’ve got, you know, 60 plus episodes of my podcast, let’s go. Like what was that like for you?
Jo: There’s always a, for me, anyway, there’s always a little bit of that feeling of like, you just got to fake it to make it, but it was also that it’s the knowing too, because I think we all experience imposter syndrome. And so there’s that, that knowledge that, yeah, I’m feeling this way, but that doesn’t mean that I am an imposter. Just because I’m feeling that way doesn’t mean that that’s the reality of the situation and doesn’t mean that I will always feel that way. So I think it was also being really cognizant of that. And then just trying to talk, you know, that inner talk, pep myself up a little bit with, like, yeah but I have written some books. I’ve had good reviews. I am selling books. I’ve had amazing guests on my podcast and yeah, I’ve got 60 odd episodes now.
And you know, I’m, yeah, like, it’s kind of one of those weird things in that I tend to think of my author career and that officially starting in like 2020 because that was when I first published my first book. In reality, like I had, um, short stories and that published in literary journals and that in like 2014, 2015, that kind of thing. And I had been writing my entire life. Like, so, so I’ve been an author longer than I’ve been a published author, if that makes sense? So I think it was just trying to be a cheerleader for myself. Because we have to, don’t we? Like we’ve got to be our biggest cheerleader because sometimes our friends and family are just not going to get it. So we can’t depend on them. So yeah.
Carissa: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I love that you kind of, you know, pep talk to yourself too, because it’s that whole concept of reaching for that better feeling thought so that you can continue to manifest and bring forward what you really do want and transition your inner world, your inner experience to be more reflected on the outside and so that you’re in harmony and alignment with it as well. That’s so cool.
Jo: Yeah. So yeah, but it did take me by surprise, the imposter syndrome. Because I, you know, you always feel a little bit of imposter syndrome, but it’s usually, most of the time in my author-sphere, it’s not so bold and in my face, and so it’s easy to kind of push aside. Whereas when it came to these local events, it was scary how strong it kind of came out and kind of slapped me in the face. I wasn’t expecting that, but yeah.
Carissa: Right. It’s always scary those first few times to, like just anything new, really, that you’re putting yourself out there in a new way. I remember the first time doing, you know, like a Facebook live. I think it was 2017 and literally like, I think I had one person that hopped on and it was probably a friend, right? But I was so nervous about doing this, you know, Facebook live thing. I had no idea why I was even doing it, but I just knew I had to give it a try. And it was scary. Or doing audiobooks for the first time. It’s scary because people might listen to this thing later. But as you get going, you get more confidence about it. I bet it was the same for the podcast, right? I know it was for me.
Jo: Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And there are still times where I get a little bit nervous depending upon who the guest is. Like I was saying to you before we started recording this, like there was a little bit of nerves too about coming on here and going, oh, well now I’m on, you know, the other side of the conversation. And yeah, so there’s always a little bit of nerves, but you do get more confident. Yeah, for sure. The more you do something for sure. Yeah.
Carissa: I think that’s so cool. And I think with you, I mean, having the podcast and then obviously being a teacher, that must’ve helped even though you’re an introvert with that whole, like getting up and having to talk a little bit about your books at that event. You know what I mean? Because if you didn’t have those things, even that would have been another hurdle to jump over.
Jo: Yeah, it definitely would have been harder. It’s still, like I had a school event last week where it was evening where I had to do a little bit of a speech in front of parents. And I was so nervous, so insanely nervous and it’s ridiculous because I can get up in front of a bunch of kids and I’m completely at ease and can be goofy and silly and chat, and I can get on a podcast and I’m relatively okay. But standing in front of adults is a whole different thing. And so I was really trying to, with my little, you know, it was only like three or four minutes, but with my little speech at the book fair, I was standing behind a podium. And I’m like, I’m just going to try and embrace my teacher persona here and just pretend I’m in front of a class so I can just be more natural, more myself. But I am so glad that there was a podium there because my legs were shaking so badly. And I got off and like, everyone was like, oh wow, you look so calm. And I’m like, oh my gosh, no, like my heart was racing. My legs were literally jelly behind the podium. It was ridiculous.
Carissa: But you did it and you, I’m sure you did fabulous. Yeah. It was fabulous. Anyway, so we need to talk about these 60 episodes of podcast, which congratulations by the way, getting this far. Like what has the past year of podcasting been like, and obviously this is like quite a while, right? So you’re going into your second year podcasting. How are you liking it?
Jo: Oh, I absolutely love it. Absolutely love it. So, yeah, it was so weird. It was another thing that just kind of started off on a whim of like completely out of my comfort zone. Being an introvert, I’m like, oh, I can’t talk to complete strangers. Like I can’t do that in normal everyday life. How am I going to do that with a recording? So those first few episodes, well, quite a few episodes, incredibly nervous. And when I started the beginning of 2022, I was doing an episode every week. Which was great and I loved it, but so time consuming cause I do all of it myself: the editing and the graphics, the audio. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and not particularly fast at stuff. So yeah. So I’d started a new job and I’m in education, so the hours are insane. And then trying to put out a podcast episode every week was a big recipe for burnout on top of trying to write books and stuff as well. So I did cut it back, I think it was this year, to every fortnight. So every two weeks I put out an episode. It gives a little bit more of a breather, but I do find myself getting a bit antsy. Like I want to put out an episode every week, but yeah, I just, I want to stick to this a little bit longer until I have a little bit better of a work life balance to be able to make that happen. But yeah, so I would be much further ahead with more episodes if I was doing it every week, but I’m just, I’m really enjoying it.
And the best part is that I have an excuse to talk to other authors and other writers and other amazing people who are doing really cool things. And yeah. And I’m really high on the Strengths Finder with Learner and so I get to learn from all these amazing people. So it’s a little bit of a selfish act in some ways that I get to, you know, invite people on, pick their brains. Yeah, but it’s been such a fun ride. And, yeah. And I hear lots of positives. I get some nice DMs and things like this, and email messages about my certain episodes and that. And I’ve started to see, like, I’ve got BuyMeACoffee set up, and you know. And I’m getting more and more of those kinds of donations and that from people that really like the podcast. So. Yeah. It’s so fun. I can’t imagine not doing it. So I’m just kind of, I’m just running with this for as long as I can, I guess. So yeah.
Carissa: Has there been anything about podcasting and doing what you’re doing that surprised you?
Jo: Gosh. Well, it surprises me that I’ve keeping it going and I’m still loving it. Like honestly, when I started podcasting I was told of Podfade, right? And different people say, oh, it’s after you’re like nine episodes, a lot of people stop podcasting and that’s when podcasts kind of disappear into the ether and whatnot. And I was really determined not to be that person. And I admit I’ve had moments where I’ve been like, oh my gosh, like everything’s falling apart. And I can’t get guests on or there’s, you know, slower moments. And then I’ll wait it out and all of a sudden there’s like, I’ve got a million interviews booked and everything’s crazy again, which is great.
Carissa: Yeah. Yeah. It goes in ebbs and flows, doesn’t it?
Jo: It really does. I think the most surprising thing to me is just that the episodes connect with other people. Because like I said, it’s a little bit of a selfish act originally, and now I just want to talk to cool people and learn cool stuff. And if people, others, you know, listeners get anything out of it, that’s awesome.
But yeah, I’ve just had people come back to me and say that they’re just really resonated with some of the episodes. I think it always, so this is the imposter syndrome again, but when I throw in a solo episode, those are the ones I’m usually the most anxious about. And I don’t mean to, but I usually advertise much less and I’m, I don’t know, I’m just a little bit more tentative about them. But they’re quite often the ones that I get the most replies from or have resonated with the most people, which is always quite surprising to me because, yeah. I still think of myself as a bit of a baby in the author world and I’m just like figuring stuff out as I go along, and yeah.
Carissa: I love that though. Like as because of the Learner in you, having podcast guests on is going to be so great because there are people that are going to be asking the same questions or wanting to know the same things you’re asking about. So it makes you the perfect person to be, you know, talking to people and asking those questions, bringing things on and trying to dig through it all. I think that’s so cool. Plus, you obviously love it. So that aspect just shines. That’s neat.
Jo: I absolutely, absolutely adore it. And then when I have amazing guests like yourself on, right, well, this is the thing, like the ideas that come to me. Because the last episode that you were on, we were talking about AI, but we’re also talking about selling direct, which was one of those things that was way, way back in the very, very back of my mind. And I hadn’t really thought anything about it. But I’ve got, like, Payhip and Bookfunnel set up on my website. And I think I have from the beginning, just for eBooks. But yeah, you talking about selling direct and it was a little bit like my book covers for Hades’s Haunt, there was that little bit of a spark and I’m like, ooh, okay, this is going to be something. It’s not going to be something right now for me because I’ve got, you know, other priorities with book deadlines and stuff. Yeah. But you’ve definitely planted that seed that I’m, I know where I’m headed now. And then that’s definitely in my future – looking at Shopify and getting set up and stuff like that. So yeah. So there’s cool things like that.
Carissa: It’s so fun. And with your bookstore background too, it’s going to feel fun. It’s going to feel like, oh my gosh, I’ve done this before I could do this. Yeah. It’s so fun to be able to come up with ways to bundle the books together or make people excited about the books, or, you know, think about how the experience on your store is going to be for the readers. And as long as you look at it as like a work in progress, where it’s okay, if it starts out a certain way first and it evolves, that’s cool. Because now it’s like, you’re learning a little bit here and there for… I’ll just give you an example. I was in one of the, the direct sales Facebook groups. And I don’t know, I can’t remember who had mentioned it, but they were talking to a reader from their site and they were talking about how they love, you know, buying books and stuff from other authors from their direct stores. But the problem that they have is they don’t know whether or not they bought the book before, because a lot of our author sites don’t have the capability of knowing that. So, of course, I had to do some digging and I figured out how to create the, you know, the customer profile and have like a wish list and everything. So now they can see, you know, which books have they purchased before, which ones do they want to have, put it in a wish list, you know, whatever. And so it’s like little things like that, that you don’t even think about. And now when you stumble upon it, now you can add it or, you know, just evolve the stories just a little bit or add new things. It’s just, it’s been so fun just to play around with and try to figure out how to make it more engaging for readers.
Jo: I’m really excited. And I am somebody who I feel like I’ve always gone in eyes wide open with the whole author thing. I’m not in it for the get rich fast kind of thing. Like, you know, like I know it’s just a, it’s a little bit of a slow burn for me also because I work full time in other areas and do other things. So, I have no expectations of huge overnight success, right? So I’m excited to hopefully in January start to look at what a Shopify store is going to look like for me, and gradually, you know, take that time to gradually build things up. But it’s also one of those things that I don’t know why it hadn’t really come into my sphere until you started talking about it, but it aligns really closely with why I’m an indie author in the first place. You know, like I love having that control over my business and not being, you’re not being at the whim of other people like that. That’s… I love that. And that’s why I also went Wide right from the beginning instead of KU, even though, you know, it can be slower. Like I had always been told when you’re starting out going Wide straight off the bat, you know, it might be just a little bit of a slower burn to kind of get similar sales to where you might, if you were straight into KU or something.
Carissa: I think it’s the same for people who are coming out of KU for sure. At least I’ve experienced that for myself. It is definitely a slower burn.
Jo: Yeah, and I’ve been okay with that. And so I think I’m kind of lucky that I started this career being okay, right from the bat of having that slower burn, having a second income, you know, to support it all. And so I don’t need that huge influx of cash right away. But I’ve always had that kind of mentality that I want to go further and further into having more control. So yeah, with the craziness of the world and what we’ve seen firsthand over the last few years, and how, you know, security can be taken away with a click of your fingers. You know, not having all your eggs in the one basket or having a little bit more control over those eggs for yourself, is, yeah, really important. So I definitely think it’s a direction that I’m going to, yeah, I can see myself definitely going in that direction for sure.
Carissa: Right. I can too, for you, for sure. Because it’s, I mean, it’s just, as long as you’re not scared of the process and you’re not scared of like what it’s going to look like the sky’s the limit, right? It’s all about what you’re willing to do, what you’re willing to explore and, and see how it works for you. It’s so great. And even though it is a slower burn, even though it is a little bit of a, I don’t know, somewhat tricky thing to make sure that readers in your genre are understanding, you know, that it’s okay to purchase from you, that yes, you are going to get your books, that here’s how it’s going to work. I think having the Shopify store, and I think we said this on your show too, having that store that looks a lot like other people’s stores and that the process looks the same, the layouts are similar, you know, it looks like Taylor Swift’s merch store, you know, whatever. All the things where they’ve interacted with the Shopify store before, it gives them that level of comfort and they understand how it’s going to work and it doesn’t. Like every time they purchase it’s just like, just a little bit more that they’re trusting of those sites, you know?
Jo: And I definitely think it’s where everything’s trending. Like, I think this is the direction. So whether you’re kind of jumping on this now or not, I think most authors are going to have to at some point. So it could be years down the line, but I do think this is kind of where we’re headed. And yeah, and that’s fun. That’s exciting.
Carissa: It is, especially when you think like, I’m no longer like beholden to just the retailers. I have the opportunity to engage with my readers on my site. To, you know, get paid almost the full price obviously for my book. To get it now versus two months from now, like all the different things. It’s just like, why, why not? Why not give it a whirl and see what happens? You know, so cool.
Jo: Exactly. And I love the retailers and it’s not about cutting them out or anything either, but you’re a business. And so you want to do what’s best for you and for your customers, right? And it’s giving them another avenue to purchase, like another storefront to purchase from. And yeah, there’s so many positives to it. And then if you end up falling to the, you know, moody whims of one of the big platforms, you’ve still got that backup. You’re not starting from scratch if you’ve already got it established. Yeah.
Carissa: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So I gotta, I’m just curious, going back to the podcast a little bit, like, okay, you’ve got 60, I think 61 episodes out now. Do you have a theme or a direction that you’re heading or do you just kind of see where it goes and like the types of people who come on and kind of go along with it like that? Like how do you create your show list? I’m curious. Yeah. I’m curious.
Jo: Um, there is no real plan. It’s pretty much how I live my life, making stuff up as I go along. So no, I am just like very much with the podcast because this is like, this is a fun thing for me. This was never created to be a moneymaker or anything other than fun and a way for me to learn and for listeners to learn too from other people in the know. And so, it’s a little bit of those, I’m just kind of going with the flow. So as I’ve progressed with this podcast, I have more and more people reach out to me rather than me having to reach out to other people, which is nice when people kind of come to me and want to be on the show. And then some people I’m like, oh, I don’t think you’re quite the right fit, but you know, but most of the time it’s fantastic people. And so I tend to leave it a little bit out to the universe in just that, you know, the people that I reach out to or feel that inspired action to reach out to, or whom feel that inspired action to reach out to me and feel like a good fit, there’s a reason for that. And so there’s a weird synchronicity that I hear all the time of like, oh, I really needed to hear that. Like that episode that you released, that was exactly what I needed to hear right now. And I find that too, with the guests that I have on, sometimes they’ll say something. I’m like, wow, I really needed to hear that. So it’s, uh, probably part of me wishes I was a little bit more planned out and that yes, this is the theme and the direction we’re going in. But no, there’s no real rhyme or reason. I just, I want lots of diversity. I want people to share their writing experience, particularly if people, if listeners are new too, you know, just a few books in or just thinking about writing their first book. I want them to be encouraged by other people’s stories, but also see, you know, the ups and downs and that challenges are normal.
And I also want more of those wonderful kind of craft things. Like I’ve had Troy Lambert talk about plotting. And I’ve had the lovely Jessie Cunniffe talk about blurb writing recently. And I’m always, always open to the wonderful world of, it’s not even really woo woo, but you know, that manifestation, which is really just the sidekick to mindset. That really going in deep and aligning your author career and your writing career with whom you are and your innate values and your strengths and everything. So that also includes like the lovely Claire Taylor who came on to talk about the Enneagram, and I’ve had Becca Symes on as well who’s talked about I think like author alignment and everything too. So there’s, yeah, there’s just so much goodness out there. So I’m kind of like, bring it all to me. I want to share it with the world.
Carissa: I’m definitely the same when it comes to podcast interviews. It’s like, if there’s something cool about what they’re doing, it’s like, I want to bring them on and learn from them. It’s so fun. Yeah. For the solo episodes, I typically, I kind of think of a somewhat vibe that I want to go for. So like, for instance, when I started transitioning to the manifestation a little bit, I would try to keep a lot of the themes tied to whether it’s, you know, coming up to a release for a manifestation course. Or like at the end of the year, I do like Rapid Release Roadmap, obviously. And the Plan Your Series Challenge, which is now the Four Books, Five Days thing. And so trying to help them see the value in the courses or see the value in what they need. But other than that, I kind of leave it open to what’s the weird thing that’s coming up for me right now that maybe authors need to hear about. And so even though I’ll have things planned out for the solo episodes and I’ll have like a list of ideas. Beyond that, sometimes it will just be, hey, guess what guys, Amazon created some new guidelines for AI. Let’s talk about that today. You know, like it’s just, sometimes there’s something that just comes up and we have to discuss it too. And it’s kind of fun when that’s the case, when it’s just in some ways left up to the universe to give you that kick in the butt and inspired action. And then you move with it.
Jo: Yeah, absolutely. I find that with my solo episodes too, I quite enjoy recording them. I’m just really anxious letting them out in the world. But what I try to do with the solo episodes, much like you, is look at where I’m at, where I might be struggling, or the things that are, you know, on the forefront of my mind, and just trust that, because I think we all need this reminder, that we’re not alone in any of these situations that we go through or experiences we have, or feelings that we have, and that the right people are going to resonate with what we have to say. Yeah. And so that’s just a trust that I’m always having to remind myself of.
With writing my books too, you know, like, it’s always like not everyone’s going to love my books, but the people, the right people will enjoy them, will get what I want out of them or get what they need out of them. So there’s, yeah, putting a lot of trust kind of in the universe that I guess that our voice matters, that our experiences matter, whether it’s through the podcast or through writing as well. So, yeah.
Carissa: Absolutely. I agree with you. Oh my goodness. Could you remind my audience just a little bit about where they can find you, Jo, and like where they can locate your podcast and everything? I’m a hundred percent sure that most of these people are probably already your super huge fans anyway, but just so like, if they’re new and they’re finding out about you for the first time, see, I can’t speak today, uh, we were talking about getting the words together. Where did they go? There we go. Yeah.
Jo: Yeah. So. My website is https://jobuer.com/ J O B U E R. You can actually get to the same website by typing in https://alchemyforauthors.com/. It takes you to the same place. And so that has my books, you can buy direct from me as eBooks at this moment. So yeah, so it’s got my books, it’s got a little bit about me and it’s also got access to all the episodes of Alchemy for Authors and the show notes.
So I have a few people who prefer reading rather than listening to the episode, and so you’ve got that option. So I’m mainly there. I’m also on Instagram and Facebook. I prefer Instagram, but I am on Facebook too. And you can find me under, um, my handle is @jobuerauthor. And you can also find me @alchemyforauthors. So I’ve got the two kind of handles there. And yeah, that is really my main things. You can find my books, I’m Wide, so you can find them pretty much anywhere. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, everywhere. Or request from libraries as well, that’s a cool thing to do. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And same with my podcast too. You can listen to me pretty much anywhere. There’s Spotify, Apple, Amazon, I’ve got audio only on YouTube as well. So yeah, lots of options. Just type in Jo Buer and I’m kind of everywhere, so, yay.
Carissa: Awesome. Well, Jo, thank you. Thank you so much for coming back onto the show. Being a part of the podcast again. I love bringing you on the show. I wish we had more time to talk about all the things woo. So we’re going to have to bring you back to do that soon.
Jo: Absolutely. I love that. I love that.
Carissa: I love it. But we had so many cool things to be talking about today. Like all the things about your new book and imposter syndrome and all, I think so many authors need to understand that, you know, getting out there in the local community is so important and being a little bit afraid of it or imposter syndrome at that process, it’s normal, you know? And so I really appreciate you talking about it.
Jo: Aww, it has been so much fun. It’s always so much fun chatting with you. So thank you so much.
So there we have it, my friend. I hope you really enjoyed that episode. I enjoyed re-listening to it, having forgotten originally some of the things that we had discussed on that show. But like I said, we covered a lot of different topics and I hope there was at least one thing you took away from today’s episode.
So, like I promised, I have a couple of special treats for you for listening to this entire episode. Again, I encourage you to go and check out the Author Revolution Podcast with Carissa Andrews as the host. And as you might’ve heard me talk about before on this podcast, I am a huge fan of a lot of Carissa’s courses, her meditation memberships, all of that. So if you want to go check those out, and I will have affiliate links in the show notes, which always helps me out with a little bit of a kickback. Um, but if you do go check those out, you might find that you can use the coupon code Alchemy, ALCHEMY at the checkout, and that will give you 30% off of eligible offers, either the first payment or the full payment if you pay in full. So that is a great way to go check out and try some of Carissa’s courses and memberships. They are so much fun.
I am also offering you until the end of May, 50% off the eBook version of either Hades’s Haunt, as you would have heard me talk about in this episode. It is my fave. And if you enjoy paranormal cozies, then you can get 50% off the eBook of Hades’s Haunt, Or if you want something a little bit spookier, 50% off Unspoken Truths. That’s my gothic suspense novel with the sequel due out later on this year. Those are both available from my website https://jobuer.com. If you click on those particular books and the button “Buy Direct From Author”, use the coupon code ALCHEMY, again that’s A L C H E M Y, and that will give you 50% off those eBooks for the month of May. So you can go check that out.
If you enjoyed today’s episode, I am always super grateful if you would leave a review or share with a friend, tag me on social media, I’m on Instagram and Facebook @alchemyforauthors, or you can check out my author site, which is @jobuerauthor.
If you wanted to make a donation to the show, you can do so by going to https://buymeacoffee.com/jobuer. That really helps me out with my time, the software that I use to produce these episodes. And yeah, it just is a wonderful way to show your appreciation and it is always appreciated in return.
So other than that, I am wishing you a wonderful writing week ahead my friend. Till next time. Bye
AI, author mindset, Hades's Haunt, imposter syndrome, indie author, Inspired Action, Local Events, Podcasting, Unspoken Truths