
S08 E01 Catriona Ross
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Catrina Ross is an author and editor with many years of experience in the South African book world. She is the author of THE WHICH WORD, newly released by Mirari Press.
Catriona joins Fiona and Gail to talk about the 6-second rule in publishing and the inspiration behind her magical novel.
For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
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Ask your writing-related questions here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8i1_vFmUwsd7E_nvPgQOtqEscvZIircT0imdHm_qYJK5eXA/viewform
Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you. Please join the conversation here:
Email: hiddenlivesofwriters@gmail.com
Instagram: @thehiddenlivesofwriterspod
Twitter: @hiddenwriterpod
YouTube: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Threads: @thehiddenlivesofwriters
Facebook discussion group: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Catriona joins Fiona and Gail to talk about the 6-second rule in publishing and the inspiration behind her magical novel.
For more details about the books, movies, series, and podcasts that are discussed on the show, sign up here for our weekly newsletter:
https://mailchi.mp/icon/the-hidden-lives-of-writers-newsletter-signup
Ask your writing-related questions here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8i1_vFmUwsd7E_nvPgQOtqEscvZIircT0imdHm_qYJK5eXA/viewform
Fiona and Gail would love to hear from you. Please join the conversation here:
Email: hiddenlivesofwriters@gmail.com
Instagram: @thehiddenlivesofwriterspod
Twitter: @hiddenwriterpod
YouTube: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Threads: @thehiddenlivesofwriters
Facebook discussion group: The Hidden Lives of Writers
Chapters
- 00:00 Welcome to Season Eight
- 01:11 Big News: The Hidden Lives of Writers Book Deal
- 02:32 What We've Been Reading: The Whistler and YesterYear
- 07:31 Introducing Catriona Ross
- 08:31 Writing Week: Animals at My Table and Daily Routine
- 10:37 The 500 Words a Day Method
- 12:21 Writing on an Antique Games Table
- 14:37 Marari Press and Independent Publishing in South Africa
- 17:24 From Zoology to Journalism to Fiction
- 20:16 Environmentalism and Cape Town
- 22:42 Balancing Editing, Ghostwriting, and Fiction Writing
- 25:15 Writing Sex Scenes Without Rules
- 30:12 Where Ideas Come From and How to Spot the Good Ones
- 33:11 The State of South African Fiction Publishing
- 34:19 AI Writing: How Editors Detect It and Why It Fails
- 36:33 Why Small Publishers Are Winning Right Now
- 37:36 The Appeal of Witches and Magical Thinking
- 41:16 Writing Across Racial and Cultural Difference
- 45:08 Cover Design: Letting Go of Preconceptions
- 50:04 Manuscript Submission Mistakes and the Six-Second Rule
- 52:31 Being Edited After Years of Editing Others
- 55:25 Books, Podcasts, and Shows Catriona Loves Now
- 59:26 Hosts Reflect: Boredom, Ideas, and Key Takeaways

