(This is the audio version of our latest Substack.)

In this post, you’ll find our 2026 preview, including:

🎉 Our (Slightly) New Name

📚 Book Club Picks for the first months of 2026

🫶🏼 Mini Creativity Coaching sessions coming next year

📖 January Book Club invite + Discussion Questions

More details in our Substack HERE!

Today we have a special holiday edition of the show for you. Our guests are Emily Stone, author of Yours for the Season, and Matthew Norman, author of Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon.

Today, we talk about:

* the ins and outs of writing books that are timed for a specific season or holiday,

* balancing light and heavy topics in fiction, such as love and grief,

* what to do when no one shows up at your bookstore event,

* handling rejection and building a long career in publishing,

* our favorite holiday books and movies, and so much more.

🟨 Looking for our community of readers and writers?

Join 24,000+ at CreativeInspiredHappy.com :

- ask questions of upcoming podcast guests,

- behind-the-scenes publishing insights,

- creativity mini-challenges,

- Book Club for Writers & Curious Readers,

- and more.

Podcast booking inquiries:

info@creativeinspiredhappy.com

Connect with Matthew Norman and Emily Stone:

You can find Matt on Instagram. His newest novel, Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon, is available in bookstores everywhere or from your favorite online retailer!

You can find Emily on Instagram. Her newest novel, Yours for the Season, is available in bookstores everywhere or from your favorite online retailer!

Welcome back to Letters from the Creative Life. These occasional essays explore the quieter corners of living: small reflections on art, ambition, and the tender balancing act of building a meaningful life in a noisy world. Think of them as letters from my life to yours.

If you’re listening to this on a podcasting platform rather than Substack, this will be the last episode of this podcast season. Feel free to dig into the podcast archives while I’m on break.

During that time, I will still be writing more essays and behind-the-scenes content over on my Substack, so please come hang out with me there at creativeinspiredhappy.com .

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Virtual Launch Party + Origami Workshop

You’re invited to my virtual Launch Party + Paper Rose Origami Workshop on Sunday, August 17th at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.

Come learn to fold your own messages of hope—I’d love to see you there!