When her mother retired and started a raspberry farm, Donna Thornton found her hundred-acre wood. Starting with a baby donkey named Druplet, Donna wrote a picture book as a gift for her mother. This led to a publishing contract, another picture book, and another. Now, Donna is retired and is setting the personal goal of a book a year.

On this month’s episode, learn about the art of doing local events. From how to setup your table, to helping out nonprofit organizations through your book events, Donna will teach you the power of pouring into your local community.

And if you want to check out other episodes, just click here. You’ll want to keep reading to find more resources below and how to enter the giveaway! You can listen to the whole conversation here, or on Spotify, Apple, or Amazon Music.

Donna’s local artist: Kay Rugh https://www.facebook.com/iHeartRughArt

The author that Donna is loving right now: Theo of Golden by Allen Levi https://www.allenlevi.com/the-book

The non profits and churches Donna does signings with are:

Brookgreen Gardens

Knights of Columbus

Friends of the Waccamaw Library

Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church

The Kiwanis Club of Pawleys Island, SC

Friends of the Waccamaw Library

Pawleys Island Christian Academy

First Presbyterian Church of Myrtle Beach

Since 2009, Anna Raats has worked for Ambassador International. From designing the interiors of books, to becoming the Chief Operating Officer of the publishing company, Anna knows a thing or two about publishing books. On this month’s episode, Brenda and I sit down and ask her the burning questions on every writer’s mind. From how many copies a first time author normally sells, to how many social media followers is enough. And in the meantime, you’ll meet one of the nicest people in the publishing world.Anna has been gracious enough to offer a $25 gift card to Ambassador International’s retail store as the giveaway. Here is how you enter: email us at info.write2ignite@gmail.com

Introducing…

When Cindy Lynn Sawyer wrote The Wonder of Under, shestopped short of hiring an illustrator. After all, the cost of hiring someoneto illustrate your picture book is the most expensive part of self-publishing. Soyou can imagine her surprise when she opened her birthday gift to find a fullyillustrated version of the Wonder of Under! Get ready to laugh and learnon this month’s podcast, as Cindy offers her insights into the world ofself-publishing picture books, where to market them, and how figuring out astory is like taking a laxative.

The podcast

You can listen to the whole conversation on Spotify, Apple, or Amazon Music.

If you want to win a copy of The Wonder of Under, and Remmy’sSticky Situation, here is how you enter: email us at info.write2ignite@gmail.com

Or, you can comment on this blog post.

You can purchase Cindy’s books here:

https://www.designed2glow.com/books.html

Cindy’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KidLitWriter/

Instagram: @designed2glow

https://jasminewall.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfbb4yRBH64

https://www.erinhealyedits.com/author-services

Authors Cindy loves:

Tina Cho

Glenys Nellist

Annette Whipple

When Brenda Covert took one of our Master Classes taught by Laura Sassi, she immediately had the idea for Meanwhile, Back at the Manger. A few years later, she finally has a picture book to call her own. A fun re-telling of the birth of Jesus, Meanwhile, Back at the Manger tells the story of Thomas: a fictional stable boy who decides to go fishing on a very special night. He almost misses the most important moment in human history! While she is usually the co-host of the Write2Ignite Podcast, today, Brenda is the guest! She details her writing journey, why she loves Christmas so much, and tips on when to know if you have a winning picture book!

Be ready to laugh, learn, and get into the Christmas mood early!

If you want to win a free edit of one picture book manuscript, here is how you enter: email us at info.write2ignite@gmail.com

Or, you can comment on this blog post.

You can order Meanwhile, Back at the Manger on Amazon, Ambassador International, or other book stores.
Follow Brenda on Instagram, Facebook, her blog, X, or her website.

When Lori Z. Scott won the Christy Award in the Young Adultcategory, she hadn’t prepared a speech. She never thought she would win, and she almost didn’t go to the ceremony. But this wasn’t unusual, because Lori Z. Scott never wanted to write Offsides in the first place. When it was suggested that she use the soccer themed book to tackle human trafficking, Lori rejected the idea. But soon, the suggestion became more of a mandate from God.Lori was left with no choice—she had to write Offsides.

What happened next, left her forever changed. You can listento the whole conversation here, or on Spotify, Apple, or Amazon Music. I have to warn you, this is a heavy episode. Little ears may want to steer clear.However, for the writer, Lori offers priceless advice and tips on how to handle tough subjects, when to include God in your plans, and what kind of feedback fromreaders is the best.

If you want to win a copy of Offsides here is how youenter: email us at info.write2ignite@gmail.com

Or, you can comment on this blog post.

Be sure to follow Lori Z. Scott on Instagram and Facebook

For more information on Human Trafficking, please visit https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking/resources

For every general market book written by Carolyn Bennett Fraiser, there is a companion book in the educational market. Was this an accident, or God’s plan? In this episode, I sit down with Carolyn to discuss what the educational market is, and how to break into it. From helpful resources like Evelyn Christensen’s list of educational publishing houses, to the Writing Barn, to the lessons Carolyn has learned along the way, you have to listen to this episode. We even get to talk a little bit about homesteading! If you want a chance to win “21 Days of Grace” be sure to send us an email at info.Write2Ignite@gmail.com orcomment on this blog post.

Moon Tree: https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Tree-Story-One-Extraordinary/dp/1478875984/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KCX134KE0M0J&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TKylArDaN-P5qeuEaS7fFw.GDvmyX7EdxTYxx3IT5iPOF3aPVb66SM_7QJpEuL53aA&dib_tag=se&keywords=carolyn+bennett+frasier&qid=1757017317&sprefix=carolyn+bennett+fraiser%2Caps%2C277&sr=8-1

M is for Mason Jar: https://www.amazon.com/M-Mason-Jar-Homesteading-Alphabet/dp/1641709669/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=AUTHOR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Rd0LeBgLPaq9ou4yqi3JQRIj_iznm4b6wox2_vDzmayeynhZ8ig2Df1rAmCbF50A51Yy0hvqRDUt8HA6OpNtWPFj9A7PvZEMIZMR7vGKOkjJpogJPXu4pUnfn7kg9RHwOWia7G-DUnrB4234m1KJvg.ONJbk8RGUCZ_Wa1A0zvD3lLEIXRXK2de0uOOcWFzUr8

21 Days of Grace: https://www.amazon.com/Days-Grace-Celebrate-Unconditional-Devotional-ebook/dp/B00UVMXKB8?ref_=ast_author_dp_rw&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Rd0LeBgLPaq9ou4yqi3JQRIj_iznm4b6wox2_vDzmayeynhZ8ig2Df1rAmCbF50A51Yy0hvqRDUt8HA6OpNtWPFj9A7PvZEMIZMR7vGKOkjJpogJPXu4pUnfn7kg9RHwOWia7G-DUnrB4234m1KJvg.ONJbk8RGUCZ_Wa1A0zvD3lLEIXRXK2de0uOOcWFzUr8&dib_tag=AUTHOR

Carolyn’s Website: https://carolynbfraiser.com/

Evelyn’s list: http://www.evelynchristensen.com/markets.html

https://write2ignite.com/2025/08/28/author-interview-with-carolyn-bennett-fraiser-by-sue-irwin/

https://thewritingbarn.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Educational-Market-Informational-Childrens/dp/1500463116

Music:

In the Field

In The Field by Audionautix islicensed under a CreativeCommons Attribution 4.0 license.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://audionautix.com/

If anyone was qualified to write stories for children, it would be Laura Sassi. She has worn many hats through the years: a mother, a homeschooler, a teacher, and a children’s ministry director. She also wore a special hat for our podcast episode! With over ten books to her name, Laura’s newest picture book, Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle (with a special giveaway below) is now available.

In this episode, Laura offers practical advice on the importance of finding an agent, how to make sure a writing opportunity isn’t a scam, and what author events mean to both the author and children. But most of all, it is impossible to listen to this episode without smiling. Just like Laura’s writing, she is a delight.

If you want to enter the giveaway for Pumpkin Day for Boo and Belle, send us an email to info.Write2Ignite@gmail.com

Or comment on this blog post. Thanks for listening!

Links:

https://twitter.com/laurasassitales

https://www.instagram.com/laurasassitales/

https://www.facebook.com/LauraSassiTales

www.laurasassitales.wordpress.com.

https://writerbeware.blog/

https://www.prospectagency.com/

https://www.scbwi.org/

https://www.rebeccajgomez.com/

https://pumpkinday.com/

Music:

In the Field

In The Field by Audionautix is licensed under a CreativeCommons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://audionautix.com/