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S02E12-050 Intentional Creative Rest with Jessie Cunniffe

Finding Elara

Release Date: 06/17/2025

S02E33-071 Season Finale show art S02E33-071 Season Finale

Finding Elara

We will be back on the 7th of January for Season 3     Contact the Team Finding Elara Facebook Group:  Discord:  BCP Website:  BCP Instagram:  BCP facebook:    Contact Dianna Website:  Facebook: (DL Nix)  Instagram:  Tiktok:    Contact Jules Substack:  Facebook Author Page:  Facebook Group:  Discord: jaduxburyauthor   Sponsor Info Shadow Lair:  Selva’s Ality:  Selina Shapland: 

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S02E32-070 An essential component with Tony James Slater show art S02E32-070 An essential component with Tony James Slater

Finding Elara

Guest Bio Tony James Slater is an unusual combination of science-fiction author and travel-memoir writer. He is a very, very strange man. He believes himself to be indestructible, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. He is often to be found making strange faces whilst pretending to be attacked by inanimate objects. But perhaps his biggest problem is this: he has a mouth so big he is at risk of swallowing his own head. It is for this reason (amongst others) that he chooses to spend his life far from mainstream civilization, tackling ridiculous challenges and subjecting...

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S02E31-069 The subject is entirely Tony James Slater show art S02E31-069 The subject is entirely Tony James Slater

Finding Elara

Guest Bio Tony James Slater is an unusual combination of science-fiction author and travel-memoir writer. He is a very, very strange man. He believes himself to be indestructible, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. He is often to be found making strange faces whilst pretending to be attacked by inanimate objects. But perhaps his biggest problem is this: he has a mouth so big he is at risk of swallowing his own head. It is for this reason (amongst others) that he chooses to spend his life far from mainstream civilization, tackling ridiculous challenges and subjecting...

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Episode Description Guest Bio R A Sandpiper (she/her) is a British fantasy author from the south of England. She has a law degree she's never used despite spending five years in government-adjacent roles, loves games of all kinds (the nerdier the better), and will always dance at weddings. She's passionate about creating strong and complex characters in unkind and twisting worlds, but despite what she puts them through, there will always be a heart-pounding romance. Her debut trilogy, Amefyre, commencing with A Pocket of Lies, is out now. Her next duology will launch...

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S02E29-067 Not Pronunciation Police with RA Sandpiper show art S02E29-067 Not Pronunciation Police with RA Sandpiper

Finding Elara

Guest Bio R A Sandpiper (she/her) is a British fantasy author from the south of England. She has a law degree she's never used despite spending five years in government-adjacent roles, loves games of all kinds (the nerdier the better), and will always dance at weddings. She's passionate about creating strong and complex characters in unkind and twisting worlds, but despite what she puts them through, there will always be a heart-pounding romance. Her debut trilogy, Amefyre, commencing with A Pocket of Lies, is out now. Her next duology will launch with To Touch A Silent...

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S02E28-066 An entire world with Lorna Woulfe show art S02E28-066 An entire world with Lorna Woulfe

Finding Elara

Guest Bio Lorna Woulfe was born and raised in the state of Ohio. She has lived in such exotic locales as Denver CO, Los Angeles, CA, and Nashville, TN. She is the alter ego of L. Anne Wooley who writes nonfiction under that name.  Her pen name was created to honor both sides of her family; Lorna was her maternal grandmother (also a writer ). Woulfe is what Wooley descends from, Ireland is here the clan lived. She's a poet, writer, editor and flutist ; also a jewelry designer.  She is a co-admin and co-host of an event called Writer's Night, held via the Facebook group Writer's Night...

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S02E27-065 When things fall into Place with Lorna Woulfe show art S02E27-065 When things fall into Place with Lorna Woulfe

Finding Elara

Guest Bio Lorna Woulfe was born and raised in the state of Ohio. She has lived in such exotic locales as Denver CO, Los Angeles, CA, and Nashville, TN. She is the alter ego of L. Anne Wooley who writes nonfiction under that name.  Her pen name was created to honor both sides of her family; Lorna was her maternal grandmother (also a writer ). Woulfe is what Wooley descends from, Ireland is here the clan lived. She's a poet, writer, editor and flutist ; also a jewelry designer.  She is a co-admin and co-host of an event called Writer's Night, held via the Facebook group Writer's Night...

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S02E26-064 White is for mourning with Elizabeth Chaffin show art S02E26-064 White is for mourning with Elizabeth Chaffin

Finding Elara

Guest Bio Elizabeth Chaffin is the creator of Bearded Rat Mysteries, through which she has written over 14 digital-download murder mystery games that have been sold around the world. She is also the author of two novels, Dead Man's Swamp and Newfangled Madness, published under the name E. M. Chaffin. Both books feature homeschooled protagonists and explore themes of friendship, courage, and the pursuit of truth. She lives in Oklahoma, USA with her own personal creatures Paisley and Tricki Woo. She enjoys eating mashed potatoes, adventuring to beautiful places,...

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S02E25-063 The way to it is through it with Elizabeth Chaffin show art S02E25-063 The way to it is through it with Elizabeth Chaffin

Finding Elara

Guest Bio Elizabeth Chaffin is the creator of Bearded Rat Mysteries, through which she has written over 14 digital-download murder mystery games that have been sold around the world. She is also the author of two novels, Dead Man's Swamp and Newfangled Madness, published under the name E. M. Chaffin. Both books feature homeschooled protagonists and explore themes of friendship, courage, and the pursuit of truth. She lives in Oklahoma, USA with her own personal creatures Paisley and Tricki Woo. She enjoys eating mashed potatoes, adventuring to beautiful places,...

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S02E24-062 Pink, Sun and Sleeping Beauty with Poppy Solomon show art S02E24-062 Pink, Sun and Sleeping Beauty with Poppy Solomon

Finding Elara

Guest Bio Poppy Rose Solomon's novels are inspired by both her coastal childhood in Queensland and her love of escaping into magical worlds. Her debut series is four-book YA fantasy saga Woken Kingdom. She's also a professional editor and loves to help other authors cultivate their voice and tell their story. You'll often find her posting rosy-filtered pictures or yapping about publishing on social media. Find her at Poppy's Pages Editing .com or @PoppysVintageBooks.    Links Contact Poppy Website:   Instagram: Tiktok:   Things you can enter TREASURE...

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Guest Bio

Jessie Cunniffe* is a professional blurb writer and book blurb coach from Sydney, Australia. A passionate advocate of the indie author community, Jessie has dedicated herself to taking the pain out of blurb-writing with her custom blurb services and two signature courses: Book Blurb Magic and The Spicy Blurb Playbook. When she’s not writing or dreaming up the next BBM product, Jessie can be found journaling, exploring new ocean pools, and playing her guitar. On the occasion that Jessie manages to snatch some reading time, she’s probably buried in P. G. Wodehouse or Agatha Christie.

 

Links

Contact Jessie

FREE blurb cheatsheet: anatomyofabookblurb.com

Website: www.bookblurbmagic.com 

Email: jessie@bookblurbmagic.com

Instagram: @bookblurbmagic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbmagic

 

 

Things you can enter

WHATS IN THE CHEST

From Jessie: Access to her Book Blurb Magic Course.
From BCP: $25 Voucher

Treasure chest Give-away 2: (open 17/06/2025 closes 19/07/2025)

 https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/treasure-chest

 

Otherworldly emergence Novella: (Open 05/07/2025 Closes 07/07/2025) https://www.bushlandcastleproductions.com/emergence

 

Contact the Team

Finding Elara Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FindingElara

Discord : https://discord.gg/Ap8EWpPn

BCP Website: www.bcpcreative.com.au

BCP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bcp.creative/

BCP Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bcpcreative

 

Contact Dianna

Website: www.dlnix.com

Facebook: (DL Nix) https://www.facebook.com/Faepatriantales

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/findingelara/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@findingelarapodcast

 

Sponsor Info

Book Reality https://bookreality.com/

Shadow Lair: https://ko-fi.com/findingelara

 

Show Notes

  • Inspired by Becoming a writer Dorothe Brande
  • Regular Consistent writing built trust in self to become a secure creative
  • Grew up in the Blue Mountains – surrounded by tourist atmosphere
  • To beat overwhelm, got an assistant and built a team. Rostered a 4 day work week to ensure intentional creative rest.
  • Reward self with Spare time.
  • Walks around the city to clear head.
  • Dealing with rejection – remember it is collaborative and you have to be creatively vulnerable.
  • Writing habit tip = Consistency
  • Other creative endeavours, hand crafts. (knit, cross-stitch, beading)
  • Playing it safe never works, you have to be creatively brave.

 

Quotes By Jessie

Overwhelm comes for feeling like we should be doing something in a particular way … becoming aware of the ebs and flows and being ok with the need to rest so you can come back better than before is the secret.

I know that when ideas slow down it’s not that I am running out of ideas, It’s that I haven’t had enough creative rest.

Consistency is the buzz word; it’s the important thing.

Learning to be creatively brave

Look at expectations

  • Are they Realistic?
  • Are they Serving you?
  • Are they helping you get more done?

 

Fast fire questions

  1. Would you rather be a table or a chair? Table
  2. Are you a dog person or cat person? Dog
  3. Who is your favourite superhero? Not a superhero person
  4. If you were to have a magical power what would it be? There were 2 – Flying or Invisibility
  5. What is the first think you would do with a huge lotto win? Buy a Waterfront Apartment

Buffy Night

Graham Green Book Club

https://www.amazon.com.au/stores/author/B000APVBKI

She loves how Meta the stories are and what they inspire in her about writing every day.