1
rich
Libsyn
https://www.libsyn.com
90
600
A Conversation with Sara Fox, author.
  SHOW NOTES: What happens when a family story refuses to stay in the attic? In this guest episode of Your Book Is In There, I sit down with historical fiction author Sara Fox to talk about the remarkable journey behind A Legacy Forged—from a ten-year-old boy walking 30 miles to Birmingham during the Industrial Revolution to family notes that became the foundation for a novel. We talk about turning history into fiction, finding characters in old photographs, plotting versus pantsing, publishing, getting rights back, marketing fatigue, and the moment writing a book starts to feel like running a business. Most of all, Sara shares why we keep writing despite the fear and uncertainty, with one simple piece of advice: “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” If you have a story waiting to be told, this conversation is for you.   Talking Points: Inger introduces the episode as a conversation for aspiring and first-time authors navigating the publishing journey in real time. Sara Fox shares how she grew up near Birmingham, England, a setting that became central to A Legacy Forged because of its Industrial Revolution history. Sara explains that A Legacy Forged is rooted in the true story of a 10-year-old boy who ran away from home and walked 30 miles to Birmingham in 1822. She describes Birmingham’s back-to-back houses, crowded court housing, and the poverty, disease, and industrial hardship that shaped the city. Sara says she learned about the story through her parents, whose family business endured betrayal, legal pressure, and near-collapse in the 1990s. She explains how family notes, photographs, and lived experience became the foundation for the novel and later the trilogy. Sara talks about using a photograph of Matthew Seller to shape his character, noting how his face suggested fear, despair, and anger all at once. Inger and Sara discuss how readers can interpret the same character or situation in very different ways, and how that ambiguity can make fiction richer. Sara admits she initially pantsed the book, then had to rebuild structure after continuity problems, including accidentally killing off a character and later mentioning him again. She says she eventually turned to Excel for plotting, even though she dislikes it, because the story now spans multiple families and books. Sara describes the emotional side of writing, including hearing characters in her head and losing track of time while drafting. The conversation shifts to publishing, with Sara sharing a difficult experience with a publisher who handled editing, cover design, distribution, and rights in a way that left her without control. She explains how she reverted her rights, had to replace the cover, and learned to publish through platforms like Amazon and IngramSpark. Inger and Sara discuss author marketing, with Sara emphasizing community, smart reuse of content, and using platforms like Substack to create longer-form material that can be reshaped for other channels. Both authors reflect on how writing can become a business, but one driven by creativity, meaning, and reader connection rather than money.   Resources Mentioned: National Trust – Birmingham Back to Backs — Sara discusses the preserved back-to-back houses that helped bring the world of A Legacy Forged to life. Amazon KDP and IngramSpark — discussed in connection with Sara's experience taking control of her publishing after reverting her rights. Substack — one of Sara's preferred platforms for connecting with readers and creating content that can be repurposed elsewhere. Threads, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest — mentioned as places authors can connect, build community, and share their work. Pasted text Pasted text Pasted text Find more tools, warnings, and honest guidance on the Resources page. Enjoying the show? Meet Inger’s novels, or join the conversation on Facebook.  
Lone Star Gridiron
http://www.lonestargridiron.com
<iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/43233663/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>
https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/207340248