In just a few years, Stacia Stark gone from unknown new pen name to Amazon #1 Bestselling Author of Romantasy. She has also signed a major trad deal with Avon with her trad debut coming out in December 2025.

Stacia is an inspiring guest who breaks down exactly how she approaches hybrid publishing, writing romantasy and meeting spice/story/trope expectations, how to find an agent and what to look out for when targeting a traditional publishing deal.

About Stacia

Stacia Stark is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of romantasy filled with found families, self-reliant heroines, and brooding, grumpy heroes.

Her books have been translated into over 15 languages, her Kingdom of Lies series was nominated twice for Goodreads Choice Awards, and her traditionally published debut We Who Will Die releases with Avon in December 2025.

Originally from New Zealand, Stacia Stark now lives in Chicago, which she adores during the summer and tolerates (or flees) during the winter.

Find her at Home | Stacia Stark

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at Get more from SPA Girls Podcast on Patreon

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This is a classic replay of a very popular episode with USA Today Bestseller, Honey Phillips. Honey joined us in the SPA to talk about Science Fiction Romance – what it is, what are readers looking for, how she got started writing in it, and everything in between. Sci-Fi Romance is a distant cousin to Monster Romance (see episode 368 with Lillian Lark), and there are some similarities between the two genres, but Honey gives us a fascinating breakdown of the main expectations of SciFi Romance readers, and what she does to be so successful in the genre… and it's not always what you'd expect!

About Honey Phillips

USA Today bestselling author Honey Phillips writes steamy science fiction romance about hot alien warriors and the Earth women they can't resist. From abductions to invasions, the ride might be rough, but the end always satisfies.

Honey wrote and illustrated her first book at the tender age of five. Her writing has improved since then. Her drawing skills, unfortunately, have not. She loves writing, reading, traveling, cooking, and drinking champagne – not necessarily in that order.

Find her at www.honeyphillips.com!

💖 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much. We love our listeners and our patrons!

Join us at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your questions. Come on in and join us; we'd love to see you there!

www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

Visit www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

Writing compelling short romance targeting the timed short reads categories (2 hours or less) is a real skill and this is a classic replay of one of the Queens of instalove / short romance: Mia Brody.

No matter what length book you're writing, there is something in this episode for you, not least of all Mia's inspiring persistence working with health challenges and her incredible business savvy.

She is one of those authors who is incredibly kind and generous in her advice to others, and we're delighted to replay this episode.

Mia Brody is a romance author who loves big, bearded guys that are gruff on the outside and oh-so gooey on the inside. She writes swoon-worthy small town romances set in the fictional town of Courage County.

She often writes characters that are disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent. Her own struggles with muscular dystrophy and anxiety inspire many of her stories. She's passionate about showing readers that happily ever after is possible for everyone.

Get exclusive bonus scenes, early access to her latest books, and more when you sign up: https://miabrody.com/news/

Resources mentioned: Bookfunnel, Grit by Angela Duckworth, https://www.facebook.com/groups/writinginstalove

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don't miss an episode!

Wondering how to juggle a demanding full-time job with having an author career too? We're joined today by the fabulous Chloe Archer, who is doing exactly that!

Chloe Archer writes popular queer sci-fi and paranormal rom-coms. And alongside her author career, Chloe also works full-time as a Film Studies Professor, which makes her perfect for this episode!

And if that's not enough, Chloe is organising Pride in Prose which is an amazing Virtual Retreat in February 2026 for LGBTQ+ Romance Authors and Professionals.

Links mentioned: Pride In Prose Online Retreat https://www.chloearcher.com/pride-in-prose
Tea, Tentacles & Talk https://www.youtube.com/@chloearcheauthor/videos
Cover Designer, Natasha Snow https://natashasnow.com/

About Chloe

Chloe Archer writes queer sci-fi and paranormal rom-coms with laugh out loud humor, zany shenanigans, silly acronyms, and plenty of spice!

She currently calls Minnesota home, but has lived abroad in places like Montreal, Edinburgh, and Tokyo. She's hoping to relocate to Scotland permanently in the next few years if the stars align.

Chloe is a fur mama to two adorable Yorkies, Jasper and Teddy, and she loves them in a crazy dog mama kind of way. When she isn't busy writing, she enjoys visiting friends and family, traveling, reading, binge watching movies and TV shows, and practicing her karaoke skills. She does a mean cover of Pat Benatar and Cher, or so she's been told.

Chloe's website: www.chloearcher.com

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don't miss an episode!

Within five years, USA Today Bestselling romance author, Vanessa Vale, forged two pen names from scratch to seven figures, using the strategies and techniques she discusses in this episode and in her Thrifty Tips for Authors class. The beginnings of this program came when she was banned from Facebook ads, forcing her to develop strong branding and marketing steps that are enduring and withstand the changes and whims of the publishing industry without relying on paid click ads.

This classic replay episode is a must listen for writers of all genres!

Learn more about Vanessa's course Thrifty Tips For Authors here: https://thriftytipsforauthors.com/courses

About Vanessa Vale

Vanessa Vale is the USA Today bestselling author of sexy romance novels, including her popular Bridgewater historical series and hot contemporary romances. With over one million books sold, Vanessa writes about unapologetic bad boys who don't just fall in love, they fall hard. Her books are available worldwide in multiple languages in e-book, print and audio.

Her Thrifty Tips for Authors group has over 2500 members (https://www.facebook.com/groups/thriftytipsforauthors )

Vanessa's Author website: https://vanessavaleauthor.com/

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your questions. Come on in and join us, we'd love to see you there!

www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch the recording on our YouTube Channel @spagirlspodcast

On 2.10.2015 we published our very first SPA Girls Podcast episode and OH THE NERVES! But we persisted and here we are, ten years later, ten years wiser, 520 episodes later and a million magic moments of inspiration, advice, publishing wisdom and fellow author interviews and shenanigans recorded.

So what are our "acorns of wisdom" we've learned from these ten years that have stood the test of time and the constantly-changing publishing landscape?

We discuss the importance of:

• Being Yourself
• Building Community
• Riding Industry Shifts
• Dealing with Burnout
• Writing While Chaos Is Happening
• Mindset
• Finding The Joy

Thank you so much for tuning in. We wouldn't be here without you, and appreciate every listener, subscriber, guest and special shout out to our patreon supporters who have helped us keep producing our weekly show!

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don't miss an episode!

Author Business and Marketing Strategist, Olivia Zugay, is here with some wonderful tips on gaining discoverability, improving reader retention and focussing on long-game thinking without overly relying on chaotic social media!

Olivia Zugay is a business and marketing strategist for self-published fiction authors. As the founder of Story Flow Solutions, she helps authors market and sell their books with clarity, confidence, and sustainable strategy — so they can grow their readership, increase their sales, and build thriving full-time author careers.

With a background in project management and virtual assistant work for bestselling indie authors, Olivia has spent years behind the scenes crafting high-converting launches, reviving stagnant platforms, and helping her clients hit their highest-revenue years.

Through her 1:1 services and membership program, the Story Flow Collective, Olivia empowers fiction authors to treat their work like the business it truly is — with smart marketing & sales strategies that build thriving full-time author careers.

When she's not deep in sales data or mapping out an email funnel, you'll find her reading romance, analyzing book trends, or sneaking a Twilight reference into her content.

Find her at: http://www.storyflowsolutions.com

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you'll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don't miss an episode!