Kobo Writing Life Podcast

#398 – Writing Psychological Thrillers and Procedural Crime with D.K. Hood

In this episode, we are excited to be joined by D.K. Hood, acclaimed author of the Detectives Kane and Alton series! Having sold over 2 million copies of her books, D.K. is an experienced author whose works have been largely published by the digital-first publisher Bookouture. We spoke to D.K. about her long-running Kane and Alton series, how she plots her novels, how she makes sure mysteries stay satisfying, how she keeps her characters consistent, shares advice for writing a series, and much more. We are honoured to help be a part of celebrating the launch of the 30th book in the Detectives Kane and Alton series. Nothing Stays Buried [https://www.kobo.com/ebook/nothing-stays-buried-7] is available June 30th 2026.

Kobo ReWriting Life - #37 - From Audiobooks to Authorship with Karen Grey

In this episode, we spoke with Karen White [http://followkarengrey.com], an award-winning audiobook narrator who recently began writing and publishing her own works under the pen name of Karen Grey [https://www.karengrey.com/]. We chatted about Karen's career as an audiobook narrator, her transition into publishing as an indie author, and much more. There was such a wealth of advice and information that Karen brought to the table that we felt as if we could talk for another hour or more! Be sure to take a look at Karen's latest novel, You Get What You Give, [https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/you-get-what-you-give] the first in her Carolina Classics series. In this novel, an "enemies-to-lovers, new-in-town, one-night-stand unlikely love story, a boss lady and a Hollywood bad boy find that you only get as good as you give." We hope you enjoy this great conversation on the dos and don'ts of narrating audiobooks, tips on marketing, a look behind the scenes of audiobook recording, and much love for and enthusiasm about audiobooks overall!

#397 – See Success by Publishing Wide with Skye MacKinnon

In this episode of the KWL Podcast, we were joined by Skye MacKinnon, best-selling author of over seventy romance novels. She also publishes children's books under the pen name Isla Wynter. She loves to help other indie authors succeed and had much great advice to share about self-publishing during our conversation! We spoke to Skye about her writing journey, how she started writing full-time, writing under multiple pen names, publishing wide, working with other authors, translating her books, and much more! Plus, listen to Skye's previous appearance on the KWL Podcast here [https://www.kobo.com/kobo-writing-life/blog/kobo-rewriting-life-20-incorporating-mythology-and-folklore-into-your-writing-with-skye-mackinnon#entry:1997943@11:url]. Learn more about Skye on her website [https://skyemackinnon.com/].

Kobo ReWriting Life - #36 - Mythology, Fantasy, and LGBTQ+ Representation with Arizona Tape

In this episode, we spoke with Arizona Tape [https://arizonatape.com/], author of dozens of books across multiple series, and collaborative writer on many more! Some of her many ongoing series include Queens of Olympus [https://www.kobo.com/series/queens-of-olympus] (inspired by Greek mythology!), Crescent Lake Shifters [https://www.kobo.com/series/crescent-lake-shifters] (dragon-shifter romance!), and Crescent Lake Bears [https://www.kobo.com/series/crescent-lake-bears] (lumberjack bear-shifter romance!). We learned about Arizona's journey to becoming a full-time writer, heard more about her solo and her collaborative writing processes, asked after her favourite manga and anime series, and got some great advice for emerging writers. We also chatted about LGBTQ+ representation, readers seeing themselves represented in Arizona's books, and why Arizona wanted to write books that her younger self was never able to find. We have a wonderful conversation with Arizona and can't wait to see what she writes next!

#396 – Crafting Memorable Characters with Claire Taylor

In this episode, we spoke with Claire Taylor, author, author coach, and owner of FFS Media. She is the author of over forty mystery and humour novels. She also works as an author coach and is the developer of The Liberated Writer program, wherein she implements the Enneagram framework into her teachings! Her book, Write Iconic Characters [https://www.kobo.com/ebook/write-iconic-characters], teaches authors how to write memorable characters using the Enneagram framework. We had a great conversation about Claire's journey to becoming an author, her Enneagram expertise, her advice for authors looking to write memorable characters, her coaching services, and much more! Visit Claire's website [https://www.hclairetaylor.com/] to learn more.