The Stories Between Us
Two writers, Shawn Smucker and Maile Silva, married to each other, explore the highs and lows of creativity, publishing, and the writing life.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 29 minutes
- Episodes
- 185
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2023
185 So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye
Today, Maile and Shawn talk about entering a new stage of life and how it's led them into a season of paring back on various things...including the podcast. Also, if you're a writer, do you ever have…
184 Kate Motaung and the Journey from Traditional Publishing to Self-Publishing...and Back Again
Today we talk with Kate Motaung about the emotional investment of writing a memoir, why she's chosen to self-publish a few of her books, and red flags that might lead her to encourage someone not to …
183 The Healing Power of Nature in an Anxious World
Today we're talking with Jennifer Grant, author of the best-selling children's book, Maybe God is Like That Too and Finding Calm in Nature. She talks about all the anxiety kids live with these days--…
182 Douglas McKelvey and Who We Write For (Part 2)
"If I'm not able to make a living by writing...do I quit writing?"
Today, in the second part of our conversation with Douglas McKelvey, we explore the idea of writing only for the money . . . and how…
181 A Poet and a Poem: A Compilation of Our Episodes with Leslie Bustard
In honor of the passing of our dear friend Leslie Bustard, whose memorial service is this coming weekend, we having compiled all three of the podcast episodes we recorded with her over the years. The…
180 Douglas McKelvey and the Role of Violence and Darkness in the Novel (Part 1)
Do the things I believe hold up even in the worst circumstances?
Today, we speak with author and song-writer Douglas McKelvey about some of our favorite authors, including Cormac McCarthy and William…
179 Sugar! Sugar! Sugar!: On Addiction, Creativity, and Various Ways to Get Unstuck
Three weeks ago, Maile gave up eating sugar, and it's had a profound impact on her creativity. Which leads us to consider how addictions in general impact our ability to write, and the various ways w…
178 This Unpredictable Freelance Life
Today Maile and I talk about our freelance life, the benefits and drawbacks of such a life, and why we keep trying to cobble together a life doing the thing that we love: telling stories.
Also, how …
177 Erin Bartels and Writing for a Christian Publisher
Today we talk with author Erin Bartels about why she waited seven years for a traditional publishing contract instead of self-publishing, how working for a publisher shaped her writing journey, and w…
176 Michelle Derusha Walks Away From Writing
What happens when a writer makes it into the publishing world...and then decides that kind of writing life isn't for them?
Today we're talking with author Michelle Derusha about her journey through p…
175 To Quit or Not to Quit (Writing)...That is the Question
Why do I keep writing? When all of my greatest writing dreams and goals remain unfulfilled, why not call it a day and spend my time on something else...like curling, perhaps?
Today Maile and I talk a…
174 Malcolm Guite's Journey to Becoming a Poet
How does a poet become a poet? Here is one of the many roads available, and it's shared by extraordinary poet Malcolm Guite: deciding to be a poet as a young man, then becoming a teacher, then a prie…
173 Jen Pollock Michel and the Problem with Productivity
Today we talk with Jen Pollock Michel about our experience of time: the anxieties, the passing of it, the keeping of it, and so much more. In a world and a life where time feels like a scarce resourc…
172 Lore Wilbert Keeps Asking Questions
Why do we stop asking questions? What's the relationship between curiosity and silence?
Lore Wilbert is one of the most thoughtful writers I know. Today, she talks about the importance of asking (an…
171 Maile Tells Shawn What's Wrong With His Writing
Recently, when Shawn shared his concerns with Maile, that he would never be able to write the book he wanted to write, that it was beginning to feel like all of life was just him practicing writing..…
170 Stephanie Smith Tells the Truth (But Tells It Slant)
Today we talk with editor Stephanie Smith about what it means to "tell it slant" and why the strategy is so important for creative folks as we go about making our stuff. We also talk about her experi…
169 Lisa-Jo Baker Writes the Book She Never Thought She'd Write
Today Lisa-Jo talks about the complexity of writing memoir when the story centers around the people who we love. We find it remarkable, how our parents resurface in us, the lives we live, and the way…
168 Amanda Held Opelt was a Novice at Grief
After a series of heartbreaking losses, Amanda Held Opelt set aside the book she was working on and instead delved into the world of grief. She had been to war zones, Ebola hotspots, and the aftermat…
167 A Life of Faithfulness or A Life of Distraction
Do you know the #1 Christmas movie according to Rotten Tomatoes?
Today we're talking about the wildly varying tastes found in the world, how this fact should be encouraging to us as creatives, and ho…
166 Grief and Opportunity with Mitali Perkins
If you need a jolt of encouragement, this podcast is for you. Today we're talking with author Mitali Perkins about empty-nesting, the grief and opportunity that comes with change, and a few of the pr…