Tag Archives: Podcast

The Future of Writing On Whidbey Island

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Have you seen this man?

Yes — sad but true — founding host Tom Trimbath has departed from Writing On Whidbey Island.  He helped start something great, and he will be missed — first and foremost by me — and I look forward to seeing what develops for him as he continues his writing and publishing journey!

However, you might be asking yourself …
What is the future of WOWI?

And I might reply … that I don’t have a whole lot of time to go into that right now — but … as the saying goesThe Show Must Go On!

Tom has handed Writing On Whidbey Island over to me.  With this, I see an opportunity to bring some new elements to the show — many of which are things Tom and I have wanted to do, but just haven’t had the time to develop.  I intend to have guest hosts  join me to discuss writing topics and to interview individuals from our island writing community.  The suggestion has been given to include unique intro and outro music to the show — something I was already looking into!  In time, I plan to move the audio to a podcast platform so that more people may become aware of and benefit from WOWI.  How about WOWI merch — stickers, T-shirts, etc?  I hope to also create and maintain a few social media profiles — probably Twitter and Facebook.

And the future of WOWI will happen … In The Future!

Hello, my name is Don, I’ll be your Highland bagpiper for today.

As you’ve heard in our earlier podcasts — this is the beginning of my annual seasonal work — otherwise known as my Busy Season.  Typically, Tom has done most of the heavy-lifting behind the scenes at this time of the year.  Right now, I am unable to juggle work and rolling from 50% production of the podcast to 100% management — so I need to take a little break!

My plan is to resume Writing On Whidbey Island later this year — probably around Fall.  Meanwhile, I intend to work on my plans above and begin to put these new show elements into place.

Please enjoy the past episodes in the meantime, and I look forward to you rejoining WOWI in the coming months.

~ Don

Sarah Sanborn – Author, Waking Winter

Note about the episode. Sarah’s pronouns are they/them/theirs. There are a few slip ups during the episode, so please mentally insert the proper pronouns where needed. Thanks!

Island grown, born and raised. Finished their first novel at 15. Published a children’s book, with many more stories shared and stored, unpublicized. Sarah Sanborn (they/them) isn’t stopping; and is just getting started. They are a fantasy/sci-fi writer and photographer, which is why their interview involved dragons, zombies, and gargoyles.

Island residents may also recognize Sarah when working outdoors at Venture Out, a local nursery. Use some common sense, though. Asking them for an autograph is probably best when their hands aren’t holding a forty-pound potted plant.

Sarah’s most recent book is Waking Winter, which has a whimsical cover of a small human (gnome to be specific) softly poking a big dragon with a stick. This may be March, but this children’s book will be back in shopping style in a few months. These years do come around again.

Many members of the Whidbey writing community came here from elsewhere. Because Sarah is from here, the idea of a writing community is a natural environment. That’s an interesting perspective on finding support on and off the island, including online.

If you want a shorter introduction to some non-children’s work, click over to Instagram where several of Sarah’s poems are posted.

And, if you just want to be introduced to what they have to say, listen to the interview that includes steampunk, zombies, gargoyles, and of course, dragons.


Writing on Whidbey Island (WOWI) episode 44 – Sarah Sanborn – Author, Waking Winter


Contact: 

Sarah Sanborn on Instagram

Sarah Sanborn on Facebook

Waking Winter on Amazon


Popular Posts 2022

More than three years? That’s a fair amount of podcasts/posts/interview/whatever you want to call these things. Which have been most popular? Well, let’s see what the data shows.

As for the podcasts from 2022, give them a year or two to acquire an audience, particularly one that is not subjected to staying indoors during a pandemic.

Thanks for listening; and to our guests, thanks for opening up to the rest of the writing community.

Just Tom And Don And A Bit Of Randomness

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Well, that didn’t go as planned; but it may have come out better. Don and I decided to book ourselves for the last interview of the year. Gaps in our schedules coincided, Coupeville Library was nice enough to let us use their meeting room, and the two of us sat down to talk about Don’s books and projects, and my books and projects. We did that, but the conversation drifted over to what life is like for authors in the shopping and selling season. 

Bake cookies author food recipeWe also talked about the value of talking to other members of our writing community. Writing does not have to be a solo venture. Fellow writers can provide insights into how readers perceive a book. The author may have one intent, but readers may find something else that is not obvious to someone who wrote, edited, and repeatedly read the book before it was published. Bicycling books may appeal to RV owners. Travel books may appeal to people from countries that weren’t visited or even mentioned. 

Tom Don bagpipe presentation Scotland speakingThis podcast has become an unplanned, informal, yet possibly useful resource built from the contributions and interviews of dozens of members of Whidbey Island’s writing community. Book store owners can bring some reality to expectations. Librarians can point to overlooked resources for research or even funding. Writers from your genre undoubtedly have encountered surprises, the good ones the bad ones and the weird ones. Successful and failed campaigns are useful as long as we learn from them. And, of course, writers can support writers simply by listening to frustrations or understanding otherwise obscure celebrations. (You finally found the right font!)

Thanks to everyone who participates by listening, being interviewed, and sharing.

I hope you enjoy the podcast, and I hope your sales treat you well.


Writing on Whidbey Island (WOWI) episode 42 – Don And Tom And Marketing


Patriotic bagpipe sheet music food recipe cook book

Some self-promotion which should have no shame involved (because each completed work is a celebration):

Don Scoby
Websites
Whidbey Island Baking Company
BagpiperDon.com

Books
The Patriotic Piper Just the military & patriotic Highland bagpipe sheet music Scot-Irish recipe and history book you were looking for — it’s also a FUNdraiser item for my veterans’ Post!
Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies My debut book — featuring 50+ proven recipes, including beverages and comfort food.
Let’s Bake Cookie Squares and Biscotti! My FREE sample recipe e-book … did I mention it’s FREE?

Tom Trimbath
Website – TrimbathCreative.net
Email – tetrimbath@gmail.com

Narratives – Amazon Author page

Just Keep Pedaling, a bicycle ride across America (one man’s failed attempt to lose weight, really) 
Twelve Months at Barclay Lake – from the wet side of Washington’s Cascades (party party)
Twelve Months at Lake Valhalla – from the cold crest of the Cascades (frozen more than thawed)
Twelve Months at Merritt Lake – from the dry side of the Cascades (with more than a whiff of smoke)
Dream. Invest. Live. – personal finance for frugal folks (by request)
Walking Thinking Drinking Across Scotland – but could’ve used more drinking
Kettle Pot Cup – a light-hearted look at the way we really drink tea
Firewatcher – book one of the Exodus/Genesis sci-fi series

 

Photo essays – Blurb https://www.blurb.com/user/tetrimbath

Twelve Months at Cultus Bay
Twelve Months at Deception Pass
Twelve Months at Admiralty Head
Twelve Months at Penn Cove
Twelve Months at Double Bluff
Twelve Months at Maxwelton Beach
Twelve Months at Possession Beach
Twelve Months at Possession Preserve
Twelve Months at Dugualla Bay

Katrina Morse – Adult Services Librarian

Say the word ‘money’ and people either have their ears perk up or their eyes glaze over. How about if it is money for your projects? Sno-Isle Libraries’ Freeland Library has become one of the few homes for a database of grants, a source of people and organizations who want to fund people and organizations who have projects and ideas, but who don’t have the money they need. We were lucky enough to talk with Katrina Morse, an Adult Services Librarian who has the task of showing artists, creatives, and advocates how to use the Foundation Grants to Individuals (GTI) database. This is for individual people. Non-profits can benefit, too with the Foundation Directory Online. There are over 10,000 grantmakers on GTI, which is a good thing, but it is also why its best to have a guide like Katrina.

Believe it or not, if you have an idea there just might be someone out there who wants to fund people willing to work on that idea. Research a region? Organize a community? Develop a facility or resource? There’s no guarantee, but there is a possibility. Why say no to an idea until you’ve found out if someone has already said yes, at least to financing it?

Katrina did a great job of teaching Don and I about some aspect of the database tool then listening to us start playing with ideas. Could there be some way to travel to an area that’s going to be in your next book? Someone might care about that region, wherever it is. We’re hearing about writers seeking writers groups. That might be something to organize on more than a volunteer basis. Do we writers need a coworks or a sound studio or a meeting place? That might be handy, and maybe someone wants to encourage the arts in places that aren’t in ‘The Big City’. And maybe not. But maybe.

It is obvious that Katrina can get introduced to lots of passionate people, and funnel them to a source that is otherwise not readily available. This is something that has to be accessed onsite, a bit old-fashioned in that regard; but imagine what this service was like recently, when lots of it was bound and printed and only available by traveling to central locations like Seattle. To get access on Whidbey is a great improvement.

Listen in to what she has to say, and maybe contact her directly about how she can help. Imagine finding funding for organizing classes – or maybe even a writers conference. We won’t know until we ask.

Guidestar, the nonprofit directory: – https://guidestar.candid.org/profile-best-practices/

Candid (the nonprofit that oversees the Foundation Directory) – https://learning.candid.org/training/.

If you need to incorporate:

https://learning.candid.org/resources/knowledge-base/starting-a-nonprofit/
https://learning.candid.org/training/courses/is-starting-a-nonprofit-right-for-you/
https://learning.candid.org/resources/knowledge-base/pros-and-cons/

One example of a writers group: Third Thursdays Online Writer’s Group through Sno-Isle Libraries: – https://sno-isle.bibliocommons.com/v2/events?q=third%20thursdays%20writers


Writing on Whidbey Island (WOWI) episode 40 – Katrina Morse – Adult Services Librarian, South Whidbey


Katrina Morse – Adult Services Librarian, South Whidbey

360.331.7323 x6205

kmorse@sno-isle.org

http://www.sno-isle.org