Author Allison Temple (aka Alli Temple) joins me to talk about writing what lights you up—even when it breaks the “rules.” From male/male small‑town rom‑coms to a smash hit sapphic pirate series and a weirdly wonderful trilogy about the Afterlife, Allison shares how she builds worlds around characters and built her brand around stories she loves. We dig into shelving projects without shame, writing across genres, and how to protect your joy.

Highlights:

• Character‑first worldbuilding (and why vibes matter)
• Brand clarity without boxing yourself in
• Indie pros/cons: control, speed, and realistic cadence
• Visibility tactics: backlist marketing, niche positioning, in‑person connections
• Celebrating milestones that actually feel good (drafts > release day)

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Where to find Allison (Alli) Temple online

Website: http://allitemple.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisontemplebooks/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@allisontemplebooks

Links to Allison (Alli) Temple’s books we talked about

Vacation from Hell – Book 3 in the Afterlife, Incorporated series: https://amzn.to/4nQrPdD

Afterlife Incorporated series – all three books in the series: https://amzn.to/4dKSP9X

Uncharted: A Sapphic Pirate Romantasy – Book 1 in The Pirate & Her Princess series: https://amzn.to/4nZu8LG

The Pirate and her Princess: The Compete Series – includes all three books: https://amzn.to/4a9Y2qA

My Not-So-Super Blind Date: A Time Loop Rom-Com – part of the Subparheroes series: https://amzn.to/4vhPhDf

Ski-Crossed Lovers – part of the Love on the Podium series: https://amzn.to/4uxXi6N

The Pick Up – Single dad falls for his daughter’s teacher: https://amzn.to/4vgTTcS

Other stuff mentioned in the podcast

The Artisan Author: The Low Stress, High-Quality, Fan-Focused Approach to Escaping the Publishing Rat Race by Johnny B. Truant: https://amzn.to/4dLGSAy

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland: https://amzn.to/42Xbw5e

About Allison Temple

Allison lives in Toronto with her very patient husband and the world’s cutest team of rescue pets. She tries to split her time between writing, exploring Toronto’s parks, and traveling anywhere that has good wine. Tragically, this leaves no time to clean the house.

About Jen Graybeal

Jen Graybeal (she/her) is dedicated to empowering authors through encouraging feedback, collaborative problem solving and gently-applied tough love. In eleven years of coaching, workshops, and editing projects, she has helped over a thousand authors create stories they are proud of and businesses that align with their individual vision of success. Jen is an award-winning mindfulness-trained Creativity Coach, and international speaker with a degree in English, an ever-expanding TBR pile, and a furball assistant that is usually on her lap. Visit her website for client testimonials at www.jentheeditor.com or follow her on social media: @JenTheEditor. Listen to the Books, Business & Mindset podcast, now available on all your favorite podcast apps.

Work It: A 6- Week Coaching Intensive for Authors

Information, Wait List Sign Up, testimonials: https://www.jentheeditor.com/work-it

Where to find Jen

Website: https://www.jentheeditor.com/
All the socials: @jentheeditor

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