Podcasts
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Billy Dees Podcast
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
PeakConnection
Making Structural Choices to Best Serve a Particular Story
In today's Books with Hooks, Carly and CeCe are joined by Kim and Jessica who submitted their queries for critique. They discuss how to elevate a query so that it matches the quality of the pages, reminding us that the goal of the query letter is to get an agent to read those pages; how to lean into specificity to elevate a query; toeing the line between giving away too much and too little in your query; how to successfully write a multi POV query; and how to balance discussing theme and plot in a query.
Weathering Quarantine as a Sober Parent in an Alcohol-Obsessed Culture
Quarantine has become a potential breeding ground for addiction. Mothers already struggle to navigate a culture that’s normalized drinking as an appropriate coping mechanism, and the habits we form in the secrecy of isolation can go unnoticed by friends and family. During a global pandemic, who’s going to question eating cookies at midnight or a second or third glass of wine? Writer, blogger, and sober mom of three Jessica Guerrieri talks about the pitfalls sober parents face during Covid-19. With brutal honesty, she shares her journey to sobriety, how she applies coping mechanisms from her recovery to pandemic parenting, and how she’s establishing a deeper sense of community for others.
"Anxiety, depression, isolation...these are deeply uncomfortable feelings. There’s this message that we shouldn’t feel that and we shouldn’t sit in that sadness or that pain and we should find a quick fix to it. Or this should be the way we cope with it, with this glass of wine. But I think the message that’s so important to hear is that women and especially mothers are so strong and capable that we absolutely do not need to use alcohol as a coping strategy. We are capable of incredibly challenging things." -Jessica Guerrieri
A Sobering Conversation
On this episode of PeakConnection writer, blogger, and sober mom of three Jessica Guerrieri is back. This time she discusses the importance of vulnerability as a means to emotionally connect during a time of isolation, especially as it pertains to addiction and maintaining sobriety. Ultimately our stories of struggle and grit empower others to continue with their resolve, even when it becomes uncomfortable.
"Whether or not you struggle with addiction, you are also sitting in these deeply uncomfortable feelings within the pandemic and spending way too much time in our own heads. I don't know a single person who hasn't had some sort of emotional breakdown during this time, but this bottoming out that we've done, this hitting rock bottom, I think has made people more willing and vulnerable to whatever it is their struggle is and wanting to connect with other people. We're so far away from each other, that we are going to emotionally connect in whatever way we can. And sometimes that's by sharing our truth." -Jessica Guerrieri