“Rejection,” a word that often is heard/said throughout the writing community. But what if we changed the language of “rejection” to “pass”? And moved towards a cultural understanding of what the passes truly are, a “not now" or a “not for me,” instead of a personal rejection of ourselves/our work? In this episode, Vicky Weber (Agent/Author) and Danielle Render Turmaud (Author/Therapist/Host) explore the benefits of creators and industry professionals shifting the language we use around passes.

You, Me, and the Writing Journey

(X, Instagram, and BlueSky): @YMWJPodcast

Podcast Website:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm/you-me-the-writing-journey-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Vicky Weber (Agent/Author)

Vicky Weber is a literary agent, bestselling children’s bookauthor, and publishing industry expert with years of experience helping authors navigate both traditional and self-publishing. As the founder of At Home Author, she has guided countless writers through the process of crafting, publishing, and marketing successful books. With a background in education, Vicky is passionate about breaking down complex industry concepts into actionable steps. Whether securing book deals for her clients or sharing insights on the ever-evolving publishing market, she is dedicated to helping authors turn their creative dreams into reality.

My MSWL: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/vicky-weber/

Follow me on social media: @vickyweberbooks

My blog: www.athomeauthor.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AtHomeAuthor

Try my PB coaching program free for 7 days: https://www.allthingspicturebooks.com/free-trial-ppb

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD (Host/Author/Therapist):

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD is an agented kidlit author,trauma therapist, experienced professor, international presenter/speaker, Critique Coach with the Picture Book Author Academy, Mighty Kidlit Leader, and the host of You, Me, and the Writing Journey, Take Your Kid to Publishing Day kidlit event, and the #YouDeservepIt Pitch event.

X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @Drenderturmaud

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We often hear about the importance of the writing community—because of the powerful support it can be to us in our journey! In this episode, April Berry (Author) and Danielle ender Turmaud (Host/Author/Therapist) discuss the many benefits of having a writing community, beyond networking.

You, Me, and the Writing Journey

(X, Instagram, and BlueSky): @YMWJPodcast

Podcast Website:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm/you-me-the-writing-journey-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

April Berry (Author)

April Berry is a children’s book author. She has a heart for reading and for encouraging children to read. When she is not reading or writing, April enjoys road trips, hiking, eating ice cream, and snapping too many pictures of her adorable dog. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband and their three children.

Bluesky: @aprilberrybookshttps://bsky.app/profile/aprilberrybooks.bsky.social

Instagram:@AprilBerryBooks https://www.instagram.com/aprilberrybooks/

Facebook: @AprilBerryBookshttps://www.facebook.com/AprilBerryBooks

Website: https://aprilberrybooks.com/

Newsletter Signup: https://aprilberrybooks.com/subscribe/

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD (Host/Author/Therapist):

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD is an agented kidlitauthor, trauma therapist, experienced professor, internationalpresenter/speaker, Critique Coach with the Picture Book Author Academy, Mighty Kidlit Leader, and the host of You, Me, and the Writing Journey, Take Your Kid to Publishing Day kidlit event, and the #YouDeservepIt Pitch event.

X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @Drenderturmaud

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Writing can be a powerful way to bring joy to ourselves and share joy with others, especially during the hard seasons of life. In this episode, Dr. Audrey Barbakoff (Author/Librarian) and Danielle Render Turmaud (Host/Author) discuss how writing and reading can be a mirror, a window, and a door to better understand the world—and bring joy to all of us.

You, Me, and the Writing Journey

(X, Instagram, and BlueSky): @YMWJPodcast

Podcast Website:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm/you-me-the-writing-journey-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Audrey Barbakoff, EdD, MLIS (Author/Librarian/Entrepreneur)

Dr. Audrey Barbakoff is an author, librarian, and entrepreneur. Her debut picture book, The Schlemiel Kids Save the Moon (The Collective Book Studio, 2024) features a hilarious and diverse modern-day twist on a Yiddish folktale. Kirkus called it an enjoyable, rollicking read and Foreworddeemed it a multicultural winner. She is also the author of a forthcoming board book, Mazel Toes (The Collective Book Studio, 2025), and multiple professional development books, chapters, and articles for librarians. Audrey holds a doctorate in education and a master’s degree in library and information science. As a Jewish mother, she is passionate about passing down the vibrancy of Jewish humor, language, and stories to the next generation. Audrey lives with her family and a flock of chickens on a Puget Sound island.

Instagram: @barbakoffbooks

Bluesky: @barbakoffbooks.bsky.social

Website and newsletter: www.barbakoffbooks.com

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD (Host/Author/Therapist):

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD is an agented kidlit author,trauma therapist, experienced professor, international presenter/speaker, Critique Coach with the Picture Book Author Academy, Mighty Kidlit Leader, and the host of You, Me, and the Writing Journey, Take Your Kid to Publishing Daykidlit event, and the #YouDeservepIt Pitch event.

X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @Drenderturmaud

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

"Writing a book is such a personal experience, and we pour so much of ourselves, our pain, our experiences, and the way we see the world into those pages. So much so, that it makes it hard to see a pass or a "this isn't for me" as a rejection of the self." Writing is a beautifully vulnerable and personal process, which also means that separating ourselves from the stories we write (and the passes we get on them!) is not always easy. In this episode, Sophia Briar (Author) and Danielle (Host) explore this reality and ways to separate ourselves from the personal stories we bring into the world.

You, Me, and the Writing Journey

(X, Instagram, and BlueSky): @YMWJPodcast

Podcast Website:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm/you-me-the-writing-journey-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sophia Briar (Author)

Sophia is the querying author of the locked-room mystery Dust in the Light, which was inspired by classic Agatha Christie novels and her own experiences with toxic relationships and grief. She spends her time between her native Brazil and her chosen home of France, and is passionate about crafting compelling narratives that explore missed connections and unreliable narrators—always set in eerie places.

Social Media/Website: You can find her, and her many cups of coffee, on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @sophbriar, or on her website https://sophiabriar.carrd.co/.

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD (Host/Author/Therapist):

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD is an agented kidlit author, trauma therapist, experienced professor, international presenter/speaker, Critique Coach with the Picture Book Author Academy, Mighty Kidlit Leader, and the host of You, Me, and the Writing Journey, Take Your Kid to Publishing Day kidlit event, and the #YouDeservepIt Pitch event.

X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @Drenderturmaud

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

It is no secret that creators and authors deal with many worries in the writing industry. But what about editors? In this episode, Danielle (YMWJ Host) talks with Best Selling Author, Award-Winning Editor, and Publishing Director at Hodder and Stoughton Phoebe Morgan (aka, “The Honest Editor) about her Substack article “What Do Editors Worry About?” Phoebe shares many worries that editors can experience. This episode is real, its raw, and it reminds us that all parties in the publishing industry deal with worries and pressures of their own.

Phoebe's Substack article can be found here: https://open.substack.com/pub/honesteditor/p/what-editors-worry-about?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

You, Me, and the Writing Journey

(X, Instagram, and BlueSky): @YMWJPodcast

Podcast Website:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm/you-me-the-writing-journey-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Phoebe Morgan (Bestselling Author/Publishing Director at Hodder and Stoughton/”The Honest Editor” Substack Author)

Phoebe Morgan is a bestselling author and award-winningeditor. She currently works as the Commercial Fiction Publishing Director at Hodder & Stoughton, and is the author of five books published by HarperCollins.

Social media:

Instagram: Phoebeannmorgan

X: Phoebe_A_Morgan

Substack: The Honest Editor

Facebook: PhoebeMorganAuthor

Website: www.phoebemorganauthor.com

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD (Host/Author/Therapist):

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD is an agented kidlit author,trauma therapist, experienced professor, international presenter/speaker, Critique Coach with the Picture Book Author Academy, Mighty Kidlit Leader, and the host of You, Me, and the Writing Journey, Take Your Kid to Publishing Daykidlit event, and the #YouDeservepIt Pitch event.

X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @Drenderturmaud

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Everyone’s writing/publishing journey is different, and yet the comparisons are real. In this episode, Alexandria Faulkenbury and Danielle talk about what it means to run our own race and focusing on our own journeys, taking it one moment, one celebration, and one step at a time.

You, Me, and the Writing Journey

(X, Instagram, and BlueSky): @YMWJPodcast

Podcast Website:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm/you-me-the-writing-journey-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Alexandria Faulkenbury (Author):

Alexandria Faulkenbury is the author of Somewhere Past the End, which was published in May 2025. She holds an M.A. in multicultural and transnational literature and lives with her family in South Carolina.

Instagram: @amfaulkenbury

Twitter/X: @lexibury.

Website: alexandriafaulkenbury.com

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD (Host/Author/Therapist):

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD is an agented kidlit author, trauma therapist, experienced professor, international presenter/speaker, Critique Coach with the Picture Book Author Academy, Mighty Kidlit Leader, and the host of You, Me, and the Writing Journey, Take Your Kid to Publishing Day kidlit event, and the #YouDeservepIt Pitch event.

X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @Drenderturmaud

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

There is no perfection in the writing process, and thatincludes querying! In this episode, Danielle talks with Briana Caballero and A. B. Koga about how querying is a learning process; and how expecting perfection of ourselves before we start querying or in the process not only is unrealistic, but can be harmful for our well-being.

You, Me, and the Writing Journey

(X, Instagram, and BlueSky): @YMWJPodcast

Podcast Website:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm/you-me-the-writing-journey-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Briana Caballero (Author):

Briana Caballero is a proud Latinx author/illustrator,authortuber, and children's YouTube storyteller. She is currently on submission with a queer middle grade graphic novel that makes her smile WAY too big, and loves writing stories with a focus on empowering children and teens to always be unapologetically themselves.

Twitter: @bricaballero_

Instagram: @briana_writesbooks

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brianacwritesbooks

A. B. Koga (Author):

Aaron is a biblical scholar and science-fiction fantasyauthor. He writes biblical commentaries for The Bible for Normal People and answers people's questions about the Bible and biblical scholarship on social media. He lives in Arizona with his doctor wife and three young daughters,where he writes novels on his phone between getting his kids to all their after-school activities.

TikTok @a.b.koga

Instragram @a.b.koga

YouTube @abhbible

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD (Host/Author/Therapist):

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD is an agented kidlit author,trauma therapist, experienced professor, international presenter/speaker, Critique Coach with the Picture Book Author Academy, Mighty Kidlit Leader, and the host of You, Me, and the Writing Journey, Take Your Kid to Publishing Day kidlit event, and the #YouDeservepIt Pitch event.

X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @Drenderturmaud

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The querying journey is full of passes. They are the expected, the inevitable. In this insightful episode, Agent Heather Cashman helps us understand the many reasons for agent passes—beyond writing quality. (And plot spoiler, that is often not the reason at all!)

You, Me, and the Writing Journey

(X, Instagram, and BlueSky): @YMWJPodcast

Podcast Website:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm/you-me-the-writing-journey-podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Heather Cashman (Agent and Author):

Heather loves books about people she could become friendswith and introduce a new world, but she cherishes the ones that make her want to be the heroine of her own life. Writing for enjoyment turned into an interest in improving craft and eventually led to becoming a professional editor for Cornerstones Literary Consultancy, volunteering asManaging Director of Pitch Wars, interning for The Bent Agency and Entangled Publishing, and now a Senior Literary Agent and Agent Mentor at Storm Literary Agency.

Agency Website: https://www.stormliteraryagency.com/heather-cashman.html

Website: www.heathercashman.com

Way Word Writers Podcast: https://way-wordwriters.com/

BlueSky: @heathercashman.bsky.social

Twitter: @HeatherCashman

Instagram: @heathercashmanauthor

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD (Host/Author/Therapist):

Danielle Render Turmaud, PhD is an agented kidlitauthor, trauma therapist, experienced professor, internationalpresenter/speaker, Picture Book Critique Coach with the Picture Book Author Academy, and the host of You, Me, and the Writing Journey, Take Your Kid to Publishing Day kidlit event, and the #YouDeservepIt Pitch event.

X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @Drenderturmaud

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://danielleturmaud9.wixsite.com/danielle-render-turm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠