When you spend your days navigating conflict, tension, disrespect or constant emotional exhaustion, that stress doesn’t necessarily stay in the room when you leave. It can follow you into your sleep. Your mood. Your relationships. Your work. And even how you take care of yourself. Sometimes we get so accustomed to surviving an environment that we stop asking whether we should still be living in it. What has staying in a toxicity been costing you? Open to talk through it? DM me Your BIG Life Coach, FM Ellis

Dear Authors, I’m reaching out to introduce you to Book Broadcast Network, a new literary platform connecting authors and readers through conversations about writing, creativity, and the stories behind authors. We’re currently inviting a select group of authors to become some of our first featured guests through our Author Spotlight. The Spotlight gives authors an opportunity to share their writing journey, inspiration, experiences, and ideas with readers while gaining additional visibility through our broadcasts, author features, and Book Club community. As we’re building the network, we’re looking for authors with interesting stories and perspectives to help shape our early programming. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to share more details about the Author Spotlight and what being one of our first featured authors involves.

My debut biography, For Once in My Life: The Authorized Biography of Arlinda Willis, is set to publish on August 27, 2026.

Hallo Rainer Egert, ich habe eine einfache Frage: Wenn die Menschen sich an eine Sache aus deinem Weg erinnern würden, nicht nur an dein Schreiben, sondern an die Erfahrungen, Herausforderungen, Lektionen und besonderen Momente, die dich geprägt haben, was sollte das deiner Meinung nach sein? Genau diese Art von Gespräch würde ich gerne mit dir führen. Ich vernetze mich derzeit mit Autoren für ein Author Spotlight Gespräch bei BookSpeak FM. Dabei geht es weniger um die reine Buchvorstellung, sondern vielmehr um die Person hinter dem Schreiben: deinen Weg, deine Erfahrungen, Herausforderungen, Erkenntnisse und das, was dich bis heute inspiriert. Es ist eine Gelegenheit, deine Perspektive in einem authentischen und entspannten Gespräch mit Lesern und angehenden Autoren zu teilen. Wärst du offen dafür, mehr darüber zu erfahren? @Rainer Egert

I’ve been thinking about something lately. As authors, we often talk about our books, characters, publishing experiences, and writing process. But there’s another story behind every author that readers rarely get to hear. The setbacks. The unexpected lessons. The moments when you wanted to give up. The people who influenced you. The experiences that changed the way you write. So I’m curious: If you could sit down with readers and aspiring writers and share one meaningful lesson from your journey, what would it be? I’d genuinely love to hear your answers. I’m also interested in creating more opportunities for authors to share these kinds of stories through BookSpeak FM, with conversations that focus on the person behind the writing rather than simply promoting a book. But for now, I’d love to hear from the community: What is one lesson your writing journey has taught you that you wish someone had told you when you were starting out? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.