Hello Writers and Crafters! I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 101 of the podcast and it's February 8, 2023  as we record this.    PATREON: No new patrons this week. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in us and in the podcast.  This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a postcard from me, a shout out on the podcast, and we can make announcements for you on air. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.    Comments:  Announcements:    1) Writer Craft Writing Retreat is scheduled for next August 24-27, 2023. Tickets include all lodging and gourmet meals, plus instruction and coaching and retreat time on the river, in Marcola, OR. “We’ll be touching on book structure, story hypothesis, plotting that doesn’t hurt, author action plans, and more.”  Go to valerieihsan.com/retreat for more information. Alumni and patron price is $775.  $850 Only two tickets left. Monthly payments are an option. Send me a message Valerie@valerieihsan.com for a unique PayPal link, or go to the shopping page on my website to purchase in one lump sum.  2) We need topic suggestions and interviewees. (Once a month.) Please send to writercraftpodcast@gmail.com.    UPDATE:  Valerie: personal: dress challenge and the gym; Author: layout and get the email to the cover designer; stop talking about the book Erick: Launched Patreon (where to fit in the providing benefits, advertising): patreon.com/strangeairstories   Just finished:    How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger     I'M READING:: Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier;    Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.    Up Next:  In the Middle of Hickory Lane by Heather Webber Erick's Reading:  Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky The Farthest Shore Ursula LeGuin   Show Notes:  Erick: re-configure series, Patreon marketing, putting out cookie, work on newsletter list marketing Valerie: publish memoir, pitch conferences, Hermit card--self-discovery, inner world (5 of Cups for January) Next episode: Professional Relationships   Resources:  Raven Publicity (publicity for authors) The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror Contact Erick for business-starting advice. Contact Valerie for book coaching for help writing your book. Other Resources: Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter. Valerie's new day book for the year 2023 is: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates. I've published our 2022 Book List on the website: valerieihsan.com/podcast-news   The Author Life Community Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIEO866 ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)   Find Us:   Valerie’s Services: https://valerieihsan.com Valerie’s Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com Valerie’s Facebook Page and Instagram account Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor   Erick’s Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com Erick’s free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n Erick’s Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com Erick’s Facebook Page and Instagram account  Writer Craft Facebook Group Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan