The Catholic Author Show & Podcast
The show with Catholic fiction authors, hosted by Dominic de Souza.
We talk creed, craft, and co-creation, rooted in grit, grace, gods, and dragons…
We’re highlighting adult authors of all ages and genres, and your novels!
But it’s not just another fiction podcast.
We’ll talk about their stories. We’ll learn their origins. And we’ll chat about their writing styles. But we’ll also chat about our common mission: CatholicAuthors in the modern world.
Join the list for the Weekly Digest of interviews and updates!
Latest Episodes
Writing a YA fantasy novel – the Sands of Nall (Announcement!)- with Jacqueline Lucca
Jacqueline Lucca is an author and adventurer with a passion for words and stories. We’re lucky to have her announce for the first time ever her upcoming novel, ‘The Sands of Nall.’ With a Bachelor’s degree from St Thomas University in English Language and Literature, by day she creates courses to help writers build critical thought, develop writing skills, and have fun! By night she works on creating stories and novels.
WEBSITES:
https://www.adventuresinexcellence.com
https://jacquelinelucca.wordpress.com
Listen to the podcast on Spotify and more!
https://anchor.fm/catholicauthor
ABOUT THIS SHOW: The Catholic Author Show
The show about Catholic fiction for ordinary, modern authors! We talk creed, craft, and co-creation, rooted in grit, grace, gods, and dragons. Let’s inspire your faith and your fiction!
ABOUT CATHOLICAUTHOR
The creative community for the modern Catholic author. We’re helping Catholic authors grow, connect, and keep writing! Start your 30 day free trial with our community, then $5 per month. https://legendfiction.com/
About: https://legendfiction.com/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicauthors/
FREE COURSE: How to be a Catholic Author
Helping authors write exciting novels, connect faith with fiction, and be a better Catholic! https://legendfiction.com/free-course
00:00 What book character is Jacqueline?
02:06 Jacqueline’s origin story
5:32 The Sands of Nall – Announcement!
09:10 What inspired this novel
10:30 Dream journaling for inspiration?
16:55 Courses in writing and editing
19:37 Key things that impacted her writing
22:40 Being real with your characters
27:23 Writing for an audience
30:45 Favorite legends: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
36:30 Worldbuilding the Sands of Nall
42:33 Jacqueline’s 1 minute message of encouragement
CATHOLICAUTHOR | A SMARTCATHOLICS PROJECT
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your one friend you think would really like to see it. Come and join us in the free, Catholic community on https://smartcatholics.com | We’re free of trolls and ads and toxicity, faithful to the Holy Father Pope Francis and the Church, and committed to a culture of kindness and learning. Sound like you? Come and join us.
Self-Publishing Young Children’s Picture Books as a Homeschool Mom with Madeleine Carroll
ABOUT MADELEINE CARROLL
Madeleine is a Catholic, homeschooling mother, catechist and author in the United Kingdom.
WEBSITE: www.isaiahbooks.co.uk
ABOUT THIS SHOW: The Catholic Author Show
The show about Catholic fiction for ordinary, modern authors! We talk creed, craft, and co-creation, rooted in grit, grace, gods, and dragons. Let’s inspire your faith and your fiction!
Get the podcast on Spotify, Apple, & more:
https://anchor.fm/catholicauthor
ABOUT CATHOLICAUTHOR
The creative community for the modern Catholic author. We’re helping Catholic authors grow, connect, and keep writing! Start your 30 day free trial with our community, then $5 per month. https://legendfiction.com/
About: https://legendfiction.com/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicauthors/
FREE COURSE: How to be a Catholic Author
Helping authors write exciting novels, connect faith with fiction, and be a better Catholic! https://legendfiction.com/free-course
00:00 Madeleine as a book character is…
02:08 Madeleine’s origin story
06:00 Creating nature story books for children
08:24 Where story ideas come from
10:19 Homeschooling special needs children
13:55 Creating a book and collaborating with an artist
16:06 Producing and marketing children’s books
19:01 Where to find Madeleine online
20:37 Madeleine’s 1 Minute word of encouragement to Catholic Authors
CATHOLICAUTHOR | A SMARTCATHOLICS PROJECT
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your one friend you think would really like to see it. Come and join us in the free, Catholic community on https://smartcatholics.com | We’re free of trolls and ads and toxicity, faithful to the Holy Father Pope Francis and the Church, and committed to a culture of kindness and learning. Sound like you? Come and join us.
Want a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing? Online Workshops for Students | James Matthew Wilson
James Matthew Wilson is the Cullen Foundation Chair of English Literature and the Director of the MFA program in Creative Writing at the University of Saint Thomas Houston.
Creating ‘On The Night Train’ for Radio from scratch with Kiley Hatch | The Merry Beggars
A student in Hillsdale college, Kiley Hatch pitched a story to the Merry Beggars, and they snatched up her creative talent. An idea bloomed into a massive project with 40 characters, 21 episodes, and a rousing race across America produced as an audio drama for radio. Kiley shares her experiences diving into the deep end, being paired with an incredible team, and how she grew as a writer and creator.
Editor’s note: this interview was glitchy, but we’ve done our best to edit it for clarity. The final version here is the best we can do – but we think you’ll agree that Kiley has such a winning personality that the time flies by!
ABOUT THIS SHOW: The Catholic Author Show
The show about Catholic fiction for ordinary, modern authors! We talk creed, craft, and co-creation, rooted in grit, grace, gods, and dragons. Let’s inspire your faith and your fiction!
ABOUT CATHOLICAUTHOR
The creative community for the modern Catholic author. We’re helping Catholic authors grow, connect, and keep writing! Start your 30 day free trial with our community, then $5 per month. https://legendfiction.com/
About: https://legendfiction.com/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicauthors/
FREE COURSE: How to be a Catholic Author
Helping authors write exciting novels, connect faith with fiction, and be a better Catholic! https://legendfiction.com/free-course
00:00 Kiley’s origin story
04:38 Why Kiley is ‘Anne of Green Gables’
05:28 Creating ‘On the Night Train’
12:15 The adventure of making an audio drama
14:33 Creating character arcs
17:48 Kiley’s favorite writing tools
18:48 Writing with a Catholic team: the Merry Beggars
22:43 Surprising outcomes from this project
CATHOLICAUTHOR | A SMARTCATHOLICS PROJECT
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your one friend you think would really like to see it. Come and join us in the free, Catholic community on https://smartcatholics.com | We’re free of trolls and ads and toxicity, faithful to the Holy Father Pope Francis and the Church, and committed to a culture of kindness and learning. Sound like you? Come and join us.
Making characters grow and change with Screenwriting | Natalia Roberts | JPCatholic Student
Meet Natalia Roberts, a Junior Screenwriting student at John Paul the Great Catholic University. With Dominic, she explores how screenwriting really pushes you to think about characters, and follow a process to get a project done. Learn how writing for film is different to writing fiction. But, as Natalie points out, the way a screenwriter thinks can help short stories and novels get stronger faster – by focusing better on creating great characters!
LEARN MORE ABOUT JPCATHOLIC
The Catholic University For Creative Arts And Business Innovation
https://jpcatholic.edu/
ABOUT THIS SHOW: The Catholic Author Show
The show about Catholic fiction for ordinary, modern authors! We talk creed, craft, and co-creation, rooted in grit, grace, gods, and dragons. Let’s inspire your faith and your fiction!
ABOUT CATHOLICAUTHOR
The creative community for the modern Catholic author. We’re helping Catholic authors grow, connect, and keep writing! Start your 30 day free trial with our community, then $5 per month. https://legendfiction.com/
About: https://legendfiction.com/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicauthors/
FREE COURSE: How to be a Catholic Author
Helping authors write exciting novels, connect faith with fiction, and be a better Catholic! https://legendfiction.com/free-course
00:00 Why Natalia is… Black Widow
01:25 Natalia’s origin story
03:43 What is JPCatholic like?
05:08 Screenwriting vs story writing
11:51 Natalie’s favorite writing formula
19:50 A favorite book series growing up
21:41 A day in the life of a JPCatholic student
25:51 Rewriting scripts while on set
28:00 Natalie’s 1 minute message to authors
CATHOLICAUTHOR | A SMARTCATHOLICS PROJECT
The online community for Catholic millennials, creators, and learners who want faithful conversations that are unafraid of doubts and questions. Together, let’s get smarter. https://smartcatholics.com
How to write fiction for radio (or audio shows) | A Merry Beggars Workshop | Peter Atkinson
NEWS FLASH: The Merry Beggars are looking to work with, employ, collaborate, and pay writers across the USA. They have an ongoing content need for content! They need between 30-60 minutes of scripts every single week. Plus, they pay writers!
This short, intense workshop starts with the medium of audio and how it works. Then we go through different styles of audio drama that affect how you’re writing and what type of show it is. We go quickly into why writers should seriously consider audio. Then we’ll screenshare several real-life scripts created from stories.
By the end, fiction writers will understand the excitement of radio drama, how it’s different to writing short stories. And if you’re up for it, you can create and submit your ideas to the Merry Beggars!
ABOUT PETER ATKINSON
Peter went to Columbia University for their graduate program in acting, starred off Broadway, founded a media company, sold it to Relevant Radio, and now heads up Relevant Radio’s entertainment division.
WEBSITES:
https://themerrybeggars.com
https://thatnewrevival.com
LEGENDFICTION
https://legendfiction.com
ABOUT THIS SHOW: The Catholic Author Show
The show about Catholic fiction for ordinary, modern authors! We talk creed, craft, and co-creation, rooted in grit, grace, gods, and dragons. Let’s inspire your faith and your fiction!
ABOUT CATHOLICAUTHOR
The creative community for the modern Catholic author. We’re helping Catholic authors grow, connect, and keep writing! Start your 30 day free trial with our community, then $5 per month. https://legendfiction.com/
About: https://legendfiction.com/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholicauthors/
FREE COURSE: How to be a Catholic Author
Helping authors write exciting novels, connect faith with fiction, and be a better Catholic! https://legendfiction.com/free-course
CATHOLICAUTHOR | A SMARTCATHOLICS PROJECT
The online community for Catholic millennials, creators, and learners who want faithful conversations that are unafraid of doubts and questions. Together, let’s get smarter. https://smartcatholics.com
Starting a family storytime reformation – ‘Beakle and the Star Stone’ with Anthony D’Ambrosio
Anthony is a marketing specialist who loves Robin Hood, and sharing his work with a community. With a group of friends, he created and published an enchanting, 100-page fantasy story for children, to create a new kind of storytime – stories written for the whole family.
Combining the Oregon Trail with the Book of Tobit? Self-publishing with Kelsey Gietl
Starting in high school, Kelsey has been writing historical fiction, and just self-published her latest novel – fusing faith and historical fiction!
Characters, flaws, & talking dragons in Christian fantasy with Stefanie Lozinski
Stefanie writes about dragons, epic fantasy, and her Christian faith. She’s working on a series of novels to explore ancient meaning in religion, through creative, imaginative worlds.
Interested in being a guest?
About this Podcast
In the 4th century, St Basil outlined a mindset for his students, on how they should approach sacred and secular literature. His insights are the cornerstone of our approach at CatholicAuthor:
We shall become more intimately acquainted with these precepts in the sacred writings, but it is incumbent upon us, for the present, to trace, as it were, the silhouette of virtue in the [secular] authors.
You can check out the list of all the 7 quotes here.
In crafting fiction, we are also haunted by and hunting the ‘silhouettes’ of truth, beauty, and goodness that are dimly seen through stories. Human beings and human stories are full of flaws and fascination. As authors, we are drawn to dramatize the realities of the spiritual, mystical, and mortal life.
That’s why we’re starting a new show, to meet and introduce Catholic authors who enjoy and agree with our mission. Every author has read (or skimmed!) our free ‘How to be a Catholic Author‘ course. Our convos will circle their own approach and insights.
About your host: Dominic de Souza
A young, Catholic dad and novelist passionate about worldbuilding and Catholicism. I’m a graduate from the Writer’s Institute for Children’s Literature, self-published my children’s novel, and work as a full time marketer and graphic designer.
I am married, with a small girl and a smaller corgi. Novels are my first love, and CatholicAuthor is a home for us to chat about faith, fiction and writing fun.
As much as Sunday School bored me as a kid, the last ten years have been the fanning of a slow fire, the hunger to see a greater Catholic contribution to the world of novels and storytelling. We stand in the middle of a vast renaissance of culture that hasn’t stopped from the 16th century. In our very century, our Church has also integrated these great needs for renewal within our tradition.