It’s possible, a little bit at a time, to start small and build your audience and equipment alongside one another.
Jenna O’Malley, the soul writer, writes, edits, blogs, and her Listening to the Voices in Our Heads podcasts share discussions on all things writing from idea to marketing. An upbeat host, she has listeners tuning in and joining the discussions.
Lyndi: How did becoming a podcaster come about for you?
Jenna: I joined #authortube to document my own writing journey. The first “podcast” I did was with a gaming friend who goes by the screenname Yu.Baka online. We debated how similar or different character and world building is for a writer versus someone who runs d20 roleplaying systems like Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons. This debate is now the founding episode of my guest podcast, Listening to the Voices in Our Heads (#LTTVIOH, named for the title Yu.Baka holds as a dungeon master: The Voice in Your Head). This podcast has morphed in different ways creative minded people function in their creative processes.
Since then, I’ve started three other podcasts: Sitting Down with Soul Writer, Fiction in Five, and NaNoWriUpdates with Indie Pals. Each serves its own purpose, and they all relate back to writing or creative content outlets in some manner.
Lyndi: If someone is considering podcasting, where would you suggest they begin?
Jenna: I started using a headset microphone and computer I already had access to at home, so really the investment can be minimal. I know some podcasters who just use the old headphones that used to be given with cell phones back in the day. I know others who, like me, invest as they go along. Since I also teach English for grades 6-12 virtually, my equipment pulls double duty, making sure I see the bang I put out for my money. I’m also a gamer, so I kind of nerd out about this kind of thing. People do not have to use what I do, but since I spend so much time on my device between two, full-time careers and gaming, I currently use:
Laptop/Main Screen: Acer Predator G9-793
Second screen: ASUS HDMI VS228
Headset: Anker Soundcore Q10
Microphone (my new baby): Blue Yeti
Webcam: NexiGo N930AF
Recording Software: Streamyard (FREE, browser based)
Editing Software: Open Shot (FREE, Windows version)
I’ve had the headset for years, and they were a Christmas present from my husband. The webcam is brand-new as of my birthday as a present from my mother-in-law. I’ve been watching for months for the Blue Yeti to go on sale and saving for it a little bit each month in the background, and I paid off the laptop over the course of a year or so. I’m technically perma-borrowing the second screen from my brother-in-law, who was gracious to lend it when my current teaching position required it. Dual screening has made my life so much easier for podcasting, too. The great thing about some of these items is they can be found at pawn shops and second hand stores in amazing condition for half the cost of brand new.
My point? It’s possible, a little bit at a time, to start small and build your audience and equipment alongside one another. It’s taken me a year to build my set up. I’ve also found where family and friends are willing to chip in for certain things. I’ve actually entertained asking for better editing software and marketing classes as part of Christmas presents. Instead of buying me something I might not use for long, why not put that money toward something I need? Again, no one must go as over the top as I have. I chose to go this route—and people do far more podcasting than I on far less expensive tech.
Lyndi: What challenges do you encounter when producing your podcast?
Jenna: The biggest problem I face is my own anxiety, self-criticism, and schedule. Becoming an authortuber challenged me to push my social boundaries in ways I normally would have not. True, I teach full time. However, I don’t do well in public settings for long as it drains me quickly—typical introvert.
Lyndi: How do you select guests for your podcast?
Jenna: I currently accept anyone with an idea to talk about that relates to some sort of creative process. Most of those conversations relate back to writing in some manner. Usually, whomever answers the calls I place out in promotion ends up being welcomed as a guest, so long as our schedules sync.
Lyndi: How do you promote your podcast?
Jenna: At current, I post routinely on my Facebook and Instagram (@jennathesoulwriter). Otherwise, I post in various groups throughout Facebook where writers and readers connect. I’ve also been blessed with an editor who shares the word to new clients, and previous guests have either returned for other reasons, or I’ve had other people meet me because of those past guests in some manner.
Lyndi: You recently published Bound by Fate and Blood and Bound by Oath and Heart, in the Arsinoëphorus Alliance Series. What drew you to write about the historical time period you chose?
Jenna: The Arsinoëphorus Alliance is currently slated to be an eight-book series that covers two timelines: Books 1 through 5 are set in the late 1600s, and Books 6 through 8 pick up in 2015. There will eventually be spin off stories. This story has been running through my veins since 2003. It sat lost in the archives for years, and my husband nettled away at me to finish it. He sensed a deeper story than the superficial one that was at its start.
As far as my attraction to the time period, I have to blame my father. He instilled in me a long and deep love of history, and given the overlapping themes and characters I started to write about, I knew I needed a time where seafaring and the Silk Roads influenced much of human life. The Stuart Dynasty of England had all of that to offer and more, so the rein of King Charles II attracted my attention most. I didn’t have this question in mind at the start, but by the end of Bound by Fate and Blood, I knew what this story sought to answer: what happened to magic and all its creatures--paranormal, mythical, celestial, and otherwise--according to human history as we know it?
A Maryland native, Jenna O’Malley lives with her geeky husband and their beloved felines. A long-time anime fan, gamer, metalhead, history lover, and English teacher, she blends contemporary references with fantasy and history. The worlds she creates highlight issues across time, including women’s rights, the importance of all voices in leadership, LGBTQIA alliance, mental health awareness, and anti-racism.
To find out more about Jenna O’Malley’s books, YouTube channel, social media, and more, go to: https://linktr.ee/jennathesoulwriter
