The conversation explores the profound influence of animals on creativity and the role of pets in the writing process. Anne shares her experiences with her pets, Shay, Marlowe, and Mireille, and how they have inspired and influenced her writing journey. The conversation delves into the writer's routine and lifestyle, the challenges of social media and marketing, the pressure of online platforms, bots and artificial engagement, and the impact of memories and inspiration on writing. It explores the balance between writing and other obligations, as well as the influence of social media on writers' lives.

Takeaways

• Animals as Creative Inspiration
• The Role of Pets in Writing Balancing writing with other obligations
• The impact of social media on writers

Chapters

• 00:00 Anne's Pets: Shay, Marlowe, and Mireille
• 25:13 Writer's Routine and Lifestyle
• 31:30 Challenges of Social Media and Marketing
• 39:33 Bots and Artificial Engagement

Can You Hear Me Now?

In this lively episode, Holly and Rogan share a candid, humorous conversation covering everything from unexpected snowstorms and their evolving hobbies to work stress and fitness pursuits. Perfect for those who appreciate real-life banter with insights on balancing chaos and passion.

Key Topics:

• Dealing with unexpected snowstorms and weather disruptions
• Sharing personal "thing of the week": Olympic weightlifting and weightlifting coaching
• The charm and challenges of miniature crafting and creative hobbies
• Supportive relationships in sports and creative pursuits
• Balancing work stress with outdoor activities like running and stair climbing
• The pun-filled humor about escape rooms, miniatures, and dogs "lifting"
• How hobbies influence personal growth and connections

Ramblings from the Little Shed - Episode 3

Guest: Liisa Kovala - Author, Book Coach, and Podcaster

Episode Overview

Join hosts Holly and Rogan as they welcome special guest Liisa Kovala, a Finnish Canadian author, book coach, and podcaster. She is the author of Like Water for Weary Souls (House of Karhu, 2025), Sisu's Winter War (Latitude 46, 2022) and Surviving Stutthof: My Father's Memories Behind the Death Gate (Latitude 46, 2017).

Liisa shares her journey from teaching to full-time writing, the creative influence of her mini golden doodle Emmy, and her exciting new project, Hygge House Nordic Cozy Mystery series she writes under the pen name A. L. Jensen.

Meet Emmy: The Canine Companion

• Emmy: a 2.5-year-old mini golden doodle who reminds Liisa to rest, play, and take walks

• The 40-year wait for a dog and convincing her husband (spoiler: he's now in love with Emmy!)

• How pets keep us young, vibrant, and creatively inspired

• Walking as a tool for creative thinking and slowing down

Liisa's Writing Journey

From Historical Fiction to Cozy Mysteries

• Recently published "Water for Weary Souls " (historical fiction, November 2025)

• Transitioning to writing a cozy mystery series

• How a beautiful house (the Rowley House) sparked an entire series concept

• Ideas "downloaded" during the drive home

The New Cozy Mystery Series:

• Features protagonist Minna with her mini golden doodle Hugo Dogberg (named after Finnish artist Hugo Simberg)

• Set in a Nordic-inspired town with rich character details

• Includes two Norwegian cats: Freya and Astrid

• A resident ghost named Fanny

The Creative Process

• Recording voice notes while driving to capture ideas

• The contrast between writing historical fiction and cozy mysteries

• Balancing multiple projects across different genres

Writing Wisdom & Advice

On Creativity

• Creative people need to be moving and active

• Walking in nature is magical for the creative process

• Even 15-20 minutes of creative time daily fills the well

On Reading

• Writers should be readers, and readers become writers

• Reading widely across genres enriches the creative mind

Liisa's Recent Reads

• "The Wake" by Linden MacIntyre

• "Jenny Cooper Has a Secret" by Joy Fielding

Current Reads

• Holly: "Dungeon Crawler Carl" by Matt Dinniman and "The Eyes and the Impossible" by Dave Eggers

• Rogan: Planning to start Terry Pratchett's Discworld series with friends after finishing The Wheel of Time

Connect with Lisa Kovala

• Substack: liisakovalawomenwriting.substack.com

• Website: liisakovalabookcoach.com

Subscribe, rate, and review Ramblings from the Little Shed wherever you get your podcasts.

In this conversation, Holly and Rogan discuss their long-awaited collaboration and the creative ideas that emerge from their discussions. They reflect on the process of working together and the excitement of exploring new concepts.

Season 1, Episode 11

Episode Summary

Holly, Rogan, and Mitzi explore the profound influence of pets on creativity, the power of storytelling, and the journey of self-publishing.

They discuss the emotional connections we have with our pets and how these relationships can inspire our creative endeavours.

The trio emphasizes the importance of positive thinking and the impact of writing as a legacy. They also navigate the complexities of the publishing world and share their future aspirations as creative individuals.

Mitzi is an avid advocate for holistic well-being and the host of the "Mitzi, Let's Think About It" Podcast. Mitzi is also a self-published author of four children’s books. She firmly believes that by encouraging children to think differently and more consciously, we can steer the future towards a positive trajectory.

• The influence of pets can significantly enhance creativity.

• Storytelling is a powerful tool for connection and understanding.

• Self-publishing allows authors to share their work without traditional barriers.

• Emotional connections with pets can inspire writing and creativity.

• Creative processes often involve brainstorming and idea generation.

• Positive thinking can transform the way we approach challenges.

• Writing can serve as a legacy, impacting future generations.

• Navigating the publishing world requires careful consideration of options.

• Future aspirations can drive current creative efforts.

• Collaboration and accountability can enhance the creative process.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mitzi-Think-Inc/100064244280126/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitzithinkinc
X (Twitter): https://x.com/MitziThinkInc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitzi-ocasio-3a343a24b/

Episode Summary

Holly sits down with Kari A. Kilgore, an indie author who is celebrating a remarkable milestone: her 50th book and 10th anniversary of publishing — all in the same year.

Kari A. Kilgore is an independent author and publisher based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, living on 250 acres deep in the woods with her husband (also a writer), two rescue dogs, and a collection of rescue cats. She began publishing in 2016, has released 50 major titles across nearly every fiction genre, and has written over 300 short stories. A former IT professionaland technical writer, she brings the same love of learning to indie publishing that she brought to her previous career.

What We Talk About

Dictation & How They Met

Kari and Holly both found their dictation practice finally clicking after taking a class with Sarah Elizabeth Sawyer. Kari shares how she's been using dictation for journaling and fiction, finding it dramatically speeds upher output. Kevin J. Anderson (author of several Dune books) was an early inspiration — the image of him dictating while hiking through Death Valley touched Kari's creative heart years before she found her own groove with it.

Meet the Dogs: Pebbles & Dana

Kari has two rescue dogs — Pebbles, a pit bull (aka "the Pibble"), and Dana, a Great Dane, named creatively for "two riders in the house." Today they are inseparable, pair-bonded best friends who snuggle, wrestle, and make regular appearances in Kari's Zoom calls andcreative life. They've both been featured in her fiction.

Animals as Creative Muses

Nearly every rescue animal Kari has had since age 19 has found its way into a story — as a character name, a spaceship, a planet, or a full protagonist. Her cat Zortia inspired a holiday romance with a magic cat that sold and has been reprinted twice. That single story grew into a world withseven or eight tales, all featuring real cats she's lived with. She's also written a story specifically about Pebbles and Dana's rescue.

50 Books in 10 Years

Kari published her first books in 2016 and has since released novels, novellas, short story collections, anthologies, and over 300 short stories (which she doesn't even count in that total). She works across virtually every genre — historical fiction, science fiction, romance, high fantasy, mystery, urban fantasy — and often doesn't know the genre until the story is finished.

The Joy of Independent Publishing

Kari is a passionate advocate for indie publishing. She loves cover design, page layout, sales copy, merch ideas, Kickstarters, and running her own Shopify store. She describes indie publishing as "a multifaceted satisfier" — there's always something new to learn and create. She ran her first Kickstarter last year and is planning an October Kickstarter to celebrate her 10th anniversary.

Current Project

Kari is deep into a historical fiction novella (started as a shortstory, now approaching 30,000 words) set in 1880s Virginia, featuring a woman who flees Richmond after the Civil War and stumbles into a mysterious mountain community. A real astronomical event — the Great Comet of 1880, which wasvisible in daylight — plays a central role. Research rabbit holes include horseshoe-making and frontier soap production.

Four-Legged Heroes — Special Edition

Kari's collection Four-Legged Heroes: When PetsRescue People — five stories written in five weeks for a workshop — is now available as a special edition ebook on her website, with exclusive artwork not available through retail platforms like Amazon or Kobo. She also showed off a beautiful custom sticker designed to accompany the book.

Connect with Kari

Learn more at KariKilgore.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kari.kilgore.1/

Ramblings from the Little Shed is hosted by Holly B. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe, leave a review, and come back soon — Rogan will return eventually.

Episode Description

Season 1 Episode 9

In this heartfelt conversation, registered psychotherapist and author Ingrid Phaneuf joins us to discuss how animals influence creativity, the importance of normalizing death, and her upcoming novel that weaves together grief, humour, and magical realism.

Ingrid shares her unique journey from journalism to psychotherapy, and how her experiences with grief—both personal and professional—inspired her to write fiction that helps readers process loss in new ways. We explore theconcept of "fabulism," the special relationship between humans and animals, and how nature can provide comfort during difficult times.

Timestamps
01:26 - Ingrid introduces herself and her dog Cole
03:18 - How animals influence creativity and mood
04:24 - The inspiration behind George the Cat - Schrodinger the neighbour's cat
05:06 - The novel's premise: consciousness hijacking an animal
05:57 - Animals' healthier relationship with death
07:31 - How nature normalizes death and grief
08:40 - Holly's plan to become a tree / environmentally friendly burials
09:46 - Normalizing conversations about death
10:30 - Does Cole come to therapy sessions?
11:08 - Diving deeper into the novel idea
12:40 - The Tibetan Book of the Dead and reincarnation
17:08 - Balancing humour and truth in writing about death
22:04 - Ingrid's journey from journalism to psychotherapy
24:42 - Reclaiming creative writing during COVID
26:56 - Learning to tolerate boredom and see projects through
28:25 - The importance of grief counsellors
29:45 - "Your heart gets bigger" - understanding ongoing grief
31:00 - Traditional vs. self-publishing plans
32:12 - Holly's book: North of Broken and Furever Home
33:06 - Discovering "fabulism" as a genre
34:20 - Discussing their dogs' personalities
36:10 - Connecting at MFA residency
39:37 - Wrap-up and farewell to Ingrid
39:41 - Post-interview chat with Rogan about the episode
41:41 - Reflections on the conversation and upcoming plans
44:50 - Sign-off and New Year wishes

Holly's Book Announcement

Holly's debut novel, North of Broken and Furever Home releases February 14th! Available for pre-order on Amazon. The book features dual POVs—a woman and her dog companion—in what Holly describes as contemporary "fabulism" fiction.

Connect

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the podcast. Share it with anyone who might benefit from a different perspective on grief, creativity, and the human-animal bond.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Holly B. sits down with the wonderfully multi-layered Cheryl Kemppainen — culinary school graduate, holistic nutritionist, animal naturopathy student, yoga teacher, English teacher, and author — to talk about her spirited Belgian Malinois Lila, life on a property with eleven horses, and how her animals became the unlikely catalyst for her most joyful creativeproject yet: a gourmet dog cookbook.

About Our Guest

Cheryl Kemppainen describes herself as the executive assistant toher dog Lila. A self-proclaimed curious and creative soul, Cheryl hastrained in culinary arts, holistic nutrition, and animal naturopathy.

These days, her kitchen experiments are guided by tail wags and bum wiggles, and when she's not writing or cooking, she's escorting Lila on her daily wilderness sniffing adventures.

The Book 📖

Title: Food is My Love Language

Subtitle: Stories, Recipes and Nourishing Tips for the Dog with Gourmet Taste Buds

Cheryl's debut cookbook features 52 gourmet dog-friendly recipes (think steak with poached eggs and basil pesto, dog-friendly pancakes, and fresh breads), woven together with personal stories and a holistic nutrition resource section.

Connect & Follow

• Cheryl's blog (launching alongside the book) — link coming soon!
• Book release: Food is My Love Language — watch for purchase links
• www.thedogchefcafe.com