You may write alone, but according to author Allison Anderson, you can’t write a book by yourself...

In this funny and thoughtful episode of A LITERAL JOURNEY, I sit down with fantasy author Allison Anderson, author of The Cartographer’s War series and the Children of Ash series, to talk about the strange and sometimes chaotic journey of reading stories to actually writing them.

But FIRST! It should be said that Allison blames her dad for ALL of this!

We talk about the realities of writing and publishing, why querying felt like “a dumpster fire,” (it's "for the freaking birds!") and the remarkable turn of events that gave Allison a publishing contract just three days (!!!) after she decided to quit querying and pursue another path.

We also talk about her books from The Cartographer's War and the Children of Ash series, but some of my favorite moments are when we go deeper—beneath the stories. Allison talks about why writers need other people, why “our lives are all the genres,” and why ancient stories (like Greek Mythology) continue to resonate with us.

Whether you're a reader, writer, parent, teacher, or someone trying to write their own unique story, I hope this episode encourages you to open a book (or pick up a pen) and embark on your own literal journey.

About ALLISON ANDERSON:

Allison Anderson lives her best life as a wife, a mom, a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and a fantasy writer. As a life long fantasy nerd, she finds it natural to create stories of her own and you can often find her jotting down new story ideas or talking about dragons. She’s spent most of her life across the southwestern United States.

💀 ORDER "Son of Steel" here: https://amzn.to/45oL59N

📚 CHECK OUT other books by Allison Anderson here: https://amzn.to/4g3uVay

🌐 Visit Allison Anderson's website: https://www.allisonandersonauthor.com

🎧 LISTEN on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1CvEfBcK1xALUswAkOwlNf?si=98cea0829ca145e6

🍎 LISTEN on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-literal-journey/id1839517342

🎥 WATCH more episodes of A LITERAL JOURNEY: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRTQ34vyf-9NkrTcSH0KEwXPOhdVqZRVZ

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