Living The Writing Life Podcast with Nancy Christie

In Conversation With … author Deborah Kalb

Deborah Kalb is an author, editor, book blogger, podcaster, and former journalist. Her most recent release is the adult novel Everything She Most Admired. Her other books include the adult novel Off to Join the Circus, and she’s also written fiction for kids and nonfiction for adults. She also covered Congress and politics for two decades for a variety of news organizations.

Deborah is the host of the blog Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb and the co-host of the podcast Rereading Our Childhood. She lives in the D.C. area.

For more about Deborah, visit her website and follow her on Facebook, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram.

In today’s conversation, we’ll be talking about allowing book ideas the time they need to develop.

Thoughts on writing and life for June 2026

Just a few thoughts on why we need to recognize our writing accomplishments.

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The common threads that link My Midlife Moxie novels

What do my Midlife Moxie novels have in common? In this episode, I share the metaphorical threads that unite REINVENTING RITA, FINDING FRAN, MOVING MAGGIE and TRANSFORMING TESSA as well as the upcoming INVESTING IN IRIS.

You can learn more about each book and find the retail links here. And if you sign up for my newsletter, Nancy's Book News, on my website, you’ll have access to special deals and giveaways!

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Books by Nancy Christie on YouTube * Midlife Moxie Novel Series™ on YouTube

 

Thoughts on writing and life for May 2026

Just a few thoughts on the similarity between growing a garden and growing a book.

Did you enjoy this excerpt from my writing newsletter? Sign up for The Writing Life with Nancy Christie, and receive a free writing-related tip sheet as a bonus!

 

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Check out my YouTube channels:

  Books by Nancy Christie on YouTube  *  Midlife Moxie Novel Series™ on YouTube

 

My Author’s Notes and some thoughts about Transforming Tessa, my latest Midlife Moxie novel

Here is a little about Transforming Tessa, my latest Midlife Moxie novel—the back cover copy and my Author’s Notes—as well as some thoughts I wanted to share about grief and loss, life changes and transitions. Writing Tessa’s story brought up a lot of memories for me— memories of fear, uncertainty, self-doubt and of course the pain of losing people I loved dearly. Does her story sound like something you can relate to?

You can learn more about the book and find retail links here. You can also sign up for Nancy's Book News on my website and get access to special deals and giveaways.

Follow me on social media:

Goodreads  *  X/Twitter  *  Facebook  * TikTok * Instagram *  LinkedIn  *  Pinterest  *  Medium * Substack

Check out my YouTube channels:

  Books by Nancy Christie on YouTube  *  Midlife Moxie Novel Series™ on YouTube

 

Thoughts on writing and life for April 2026

Just a few thoughts on the highs and lows of being in the writing profession.

Did you enjoy this excerpt from my writing newsletter? Sign up for The Writing Life with Nancy Christie, and receive a free writing-related tip sheet as a bonus!

 

Follow me on social media:

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Check out my YouTube channels:

  Books by Nancy Christie on YouTube  *  Midlife Moxie Novel Series™ on YouTube

 

Thoughts on writing and life for March 2026

Just a few thoughts on why I need to get off the hamster wheel so I can move forward on my writing life.

Did you enjoy this excerpt from my writing newsletter? Sign up for The Writing Life with Nancy Christie, and receive a free writing-related tip sheet as a bonus!

 

Follow me on social media:

Goodreads  *  X/Twitter  *  Facebook  * TikTok * Instagram *  LinkedIn  *  Pinterest  *  Medium * Substack

Check out my YouTube channels:

  Books by Nancy Christie on YouTube  *  Midlife Moxie Novel Series™ on YouTube

 

In Conversation With … Cliff Lovette, author

Cliff Lovette practiced entertainment law for over 40 years, representing multi-platinum artists like Usher and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and serving as SVP of Legal at LaFace Records under LA Reid and Babyface.

A graduate of Tufts University and Emory Law School, he advocates for reconciliation and justice, having co-produced a historic event connecting descendants of Buffalo Soldiers and Lakota Native Americans, and leading a campaign to rename Fort Benning after Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper, the first African American graduate of West Point.

He lives in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with his dog London. Circus Bim Bom: A Cold War Adventure is his debut novel.

For more about Cliff, visit his website and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

In this conversation, we talked about using modern technology to help immerse readers in the music and culture that permeates the novel.

Thoughts on writing and life for January 2026

Just a few thoughts on finding a quiet place to let the space that holds our creativity refill itself.

Did you enjoy this excerpt from my writing newsletter? Sign up for The Writing Life with Nancy Christie, and receive a free writing-related tip sheet as a bonus!

 

Follow me on social media:

Goodreads  *  X/Twitter  *  Facebook  * TikTok * Instagram *  LinkedIn  *  Pinterest  *  Medium * Substack

Check out my YouTube channels:

  Books by Nancy Christie on YouTube  *  Midlife Moxie Novel Series™ on YouTube

 

In Conversation With … Brittany Micka-Foos, author

Brittany Micka-Foos is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest. She is the author of the short story collection It’s No Fun Anymore (Apprentice House, 2025) and the poetry chapbook a litany of words as fragile as window glass (Bottlecap Press, 2024).

Her poems, essays, and short stories appear in a variety of publications, including Ninth Letter, Witness, CALYX Journal, the Non-Binary Review, Hobart, Identity Theory, Literary Mama, Briar Cliff Review, Typehouse Magazine, Variant Literature, and elsewhere.

A former victim’s rights lawyer in Washington, DC, Brittany turned to writing after the birth of her first child.

For more about Brittany, visit her website, and follow her on Instagram and Bluesky.

In this conversation, we discussed using the short story genre to explore various aspects of modern womanhood.