{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 154 - Dawn Chalker - Writing What You Know","description":"Episode 154 - Dawn Chalker - Writing What You Know   Dawn Chalker wrote her first novel in fifth grade, finding inspiration from real life. That curiosity, creativity and imagination has continued throughout her life, drawing stories from journeys in nature. The northern Michigan-based writer based her recent novel, Bear Me in Mind, on a real-life encounter with a bear in Alaska and also her love for British detective shows. She also writes children\u2019s books.   In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Dawn about the joys of writing, the importance of writing what you know, her publishing choices, and how she promotes her books.   In this episode, Lynne and Dawn discuss:  Writing a first novel in fifth grade before YA was a genre Writing as mindfulness Finding inspiration for books and diving into research to build a story Writing what you know and doing research Basing characters on people Finding the best beta readers Respecting the writer and understanding their goals The importance of doing your own book marketing Being more creative when writing by hand   Links and Resources:  Hepatica Books Mendenhall Glacier Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Amazon KDP IngramSpark The Nature Conservancy Grass River Conservancy Author Brand Marketing Mastermind Where\u2019s the Vacation? Bear Me In Mind Northwestern Michigan College Leelanau Peninsula Michigan Writers Traverse City Area District Library   Find Dawn Chalker: Website LinkedIn   If you enjoyed this episode, you\u2019ll like these other Make Meaning Podcast episodes: Episode 138 \u2013 Sara Bennett Wealer \u2013 Connecting with YA Readers Episode 129 \u2013 Rosina Lippi \u2013 Author of the Wilderness Series Episode 122 \u2013 Valoree Gagnon & Karena Schmidt \u2013 On the Food & Culture of Indigenous Gardens Episode 105 \u2013 Helen Taylor & Gina Nicholas \u2013 How to Really Protect the Environment by Being a True Part of it Episode 49 \u2013 Dennis van Englesdorp, Nicole Lindsey & DeAndra LeMelle \u2013 Saving the Bees   ","author_name":"The Make Meaning Podcast","author_url":"https:\/\/makemeaning.org","html":"