In this episode of Jolene's Book & Writers Talk, I'm joined by Lauren Gilbert, a Port St. Lucie-based author whose lifelong love of English literature and deep immersion in Regency-erahistory shapes every page she writes.

Lauren shares how she brings authentic Regency heroines to life without the 21st-century makeover, why Jane Austen's private letters unlock a layer of wit and social critique that thenovels alone can't deliver, and how she tracks hundreds of research sources across spreadsheets timed in five-year blocks. We talk about her two published novels, her ambitious nonfiction project profiling seven largely overlooked women of power from the Regency period, and what it means to lose a publisher contract yet keep writing anyway.

We also get into the tools she uses: the British Newspaper Archive, British National Archives, genealogy records, ProWritingAid's plagiarism scanner, and the unexpected research windfall that came out of the COVID lockdowns.

This conversation is for writers drawn to historical fiction, nonfiction researchers, and anyone who has ever fallen into a period newspaper and lost an afternoon. Visit the Author's website: https://lauren-gilbert.com/

• 00:00 Show Welcome

• 00:41 Meet Lauren Gilbert

• 01:38 Why Regency Matters Now

• 03:05 A Rational Attachment

• 04:26 Deep Research Sources

• 07:23 AI and Old Documents

• 09:25 The Nonfiction Women Project

• 13:03 Archives, Online and In Person

• 15:05 Plotter or Pantser

• 17:44 Tracking Notes and Citations

• 21:05 Newspapers Then and Now

• 25:07 Advice for Historical Writers

• 27:09 Finding Rare Research Books

• 30:21 Dinner with History Icons

• 32:56 Closing and Subscribe

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Host Jolene MacFadden welcomes Gay-Lynn Grigas, a licensed mental health counselor and credentialed addiction professional with 30 years’ experience in drug and alcohol rehab and five traditionally published books, including her latest, "Psychedelics Dreams and Rituals," which explores healing trauma through self-compassion and self-forgiveness using non-ordinary states of consciousness such as psychedelics, dreams, and ritual/ceremony. Grigas discusses types of trauma (acute, chronic, complex), how suppressed trauma can affect relationships, health, and depression, and how ketamine is the only legal psychedelic she can use in Florida, describing screening, prescriptions, and therapeutic guidance including telehealth options and safety protocols. She shares her long-term journaling and dream journal practice, notes that authors must largely handle their own marketing, and recommends writing from passion and finding community, citing Hay House’s writer’s community and her contest experience. She previews a relationship teaching memoir tentatively titled "All The Daves of My Life." Visit the authors website: https://gaylynn.net/

00:00 Welcome and Show Intro

00:42 Meet Gay-Lynn Grigas

01:22 Books and Healing Focus

01:47 Trauma Jar Explained

04:36 Types of Trauma

06:38 Ketamine Therapy Basics

09:52 Telehealth and Safety

11:35 Journaling and Dream Work

12:12 Publishing and Marketing Reality

14:48 Spiritual and Jungian Influences

18:49 New Relationship Memoir Teaser

20:58 Top Writing Tips and Community

25:15 Closing and Subscribe

Southern Dragon Publishing Links

Website: https://SouthernDragonPublishing.com

LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southern-dragon-publishing/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SouthernDragonPublishing

Bookstodon Account: https://bookstodon.com/@sodragonpublishing

TikTok Page: https://www.tiktok.com/@sodragonpublishing

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sodragonpublishing.bsky.social

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SoDragonPublishing/

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Threads Page: https://www.threads.net/@sodragonpublishing

Substack Publication: https://jolenetheauthor.substack.com/

Medium: https://medium.com/@SoDragonPub.jolene.macfadden

Host Jolene MacFadden interviews North Florida writer Nancy Blanton, author of five independently published historical novels set in 17th-century Ireland, including her latest, The Noblest Share of Earth, about a family conflict over the fertile peninsula of Inishowen in County Donegal. Blanton shares her background in journalism and corporate communications, her research-driven process using timelines and character profiles, and her preference to build plot before characters. She discusses traveling to Ireland for authenticity, distributing widely through IngramSpark, and co-founding Amelia Indie Authors after agents urged her to write something other than Ireland. Blanton explains her reluctance to use AI, her reliance on professional editing and beta readers, and writing in multiple first-person viewpoints. She previews a forthcoming novel moving toward the 1660 Restoration and Charles II, and shares advice to focus on telling the story and keep publishing details in perspective. Check out the Author's website: https://nancyblanton.com

00:00 Show Intro and Sponsor

00:41 Meet Nancy Blanton

02:14 Latest Novel in Ireland

03:24 Social Media and Global Writers

04:23 Support System and Publishing Path

06:16 Going Wide and Distribution Tips

09:17 Research Driven Writing Process

11:42 Plot First and Character Building

12:46 AI Tools and New Projects

16:14 Next Book and Research Plans

18:57 Accuracy vs Creative License

20:06 POV Choices and Writing Life

21:39 Editing Beta and ARC Readers

25:34 Dream Casting and Killing Darlings

28:45 Best Writing Advice and Influences

31:18 Current Read and Wrap Up

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Southern Dragon Publishing Links

Website: https://SouthernDragonPublishing.com

LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southern-dragon-publishing/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SouthernDragonPublishing

Bookstodon Account: https://bookstodon.com/@sodragonpublishing

TikTok Page: https://www.tiktok.com/@sodragonpublishing

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sodragonpublishing.bsky.social

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SoDragonPublishing/

Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/sodragonpublishing/

Threads Page: https://www.threads.net/@sodragonpublishing

Substack Publication: https://jolenetheauthor.substack.com/