I’ve been using my writing time lately to meet some grant and contest deadlines, so I got behind on posting this interview I did for New Moon Girls with Sofiya Pasternack, author of Anya and the Dragon.

One thing I love about doing these interviews is that they always contain great nuggets of writing wisdom. My favorite bit of Sofiya’s interview came when one of New Moon Girls’ members asked her how she kept herself motivated to write. Her response was not what I expected, which I loved.

“Motivation is kind of a dirty word in our house. Motivation won’t really get you places because you can run out of motivation. So around here, the word is ‘discipline.’ … I mean, I’m not motivated to get out of bed in the morning, especially when it’s cold and snowing outside and my bedroom is cold and I don’t want to get up because I’m warm and comfy … but my discipline kicks in, and it says, ‘Get up,’ and it takes the blankets off and it pushes me out of bed. Discipline requires practice, and you really hold yourself accountable.”

Here’s hoping you are finding the motivation and/or discipline you need to keep writing in these strange times.

If you love books (and if you don’t, I’m not really sure what you’re doing here), you might want to check out the Luna’s Reading Corner interview I did for New Moon Girls with author Melissa Hart.

Melissa wrote Better with Books: 500 Diverse Books to Ignite Empathy and Encourage Self-Acceptance in Teens and Tweens. She is also a columnist for The Writer magazine.

I read Melissa’s book in November, and its focus on diversity was a great “prologue” to get me in the mood for my Year of Expanded Reading.

I had SO much fun flagging all the books I want to read from Melissa’s booklist, and taking out a red colored pencil to make notes in the margins of my copy.

If you’re interested in other author interviews I’ve done for the Luna’s Reading Corner podcast, you can find them here. All of them contain great kernels of writing wisdom.

Introducing the authors who will be appearing at the Tenby Book Fair (part of the Tenby Arts Festival) in Tenby, South Pembrokshire, Wales, on September 24, 2016 (the festival runs through October 1).  Rats, now I really wish I could travel this year ...

Anyway, great interview!

I thought about calling this post "best podcasts about books," but it felt presumptuous, since I'm pretty sure there are hundreds out there I haven't experienced yet. But for anyone looking for a good 'cast about books, I thought I would share a few of my faves.

Bookriot Podcast

Bookriot probably has a pretty substantial following from the types who would hang out at booklikes, so maybe you've heard of this one. A weekly show hosted by the editors of Bookriot.com (Rebecca Schinsky and Jeff O'Neal), they cover up-to-date news in books and publishing, say, things like Amazon vs. Hachette, with a winning combination of serious thought and humor. They are dedicated to maintaining a diversity of different voices in the bookish world, inviting lots of other Bookriot contributors and ordinary readers into the conversation, and obviously love what they do. 

Overdue Podcast

Man, is this one fun! Hosts Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting tackle the books we've been meaning to read. Alternating each week, one will read a book and discuss it with the other (who sometimes has but often has not read it, too). Their conversations are irreverent and off-the-wall, but still show an obvious love for literature.  Bookriot actually introduced me to these guys, so if I didn't already owe them for their own great podcast, I would definitely be indebted for this one.

Sword and Laser

THE sci-fi and fantasy podcast. Hosted by Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt, S&L is a world unto itself, containing a podcast, reading group (on their site and Goodreads), and video show under one umbrella. They find some of the best SFF, classic and new, discuss publishing and writing, make the geeky convention circuit, and land interviews with some truly awesome authors (Samuel R. Delany! Chuck Wendig! Marie Brennan!). Not that they need my promotion, but everyone even remotely interested in genre fiction should check them out, like, now.

Dear Book Nerd

Part of the Bookriot network of shows (I owe them A LOT), Dear Book Nerd is like Dear Abby...for nerds. Book nerds. Reading maven Rita Meade and a revolving door of guest hosts bring the everyday travails of the bookishly inclined to the masses, reading letters submitted by listeners and giving advice to solve our reading "problems." How do you get over a book? How do you rediscover your love of reading when you've been burned by bad books? What do you do when an author takes offense at your published review? She and her guests explore these questions and many, many more in a fun, funny and genuinely empathetic way.

Bookrageous

Another Bookriot-related 'cast (co-hosted by Rebecca Schinsky). I haven't listened to this one enough to give it a full endorsement, but I trust Rebecca enough from the BR podcast to assume this one is pretty awesome, too.

Books on the Nightstand

I've fallen a bit behind on this one (honestly, with this many great podcasts to listen to about books, it's harder and harder to find time to actually read the books). But if you're looking for reviews of new books and insider information from the publishing world- hosts Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman work in the industry- then this is for you.