Hello Writers and Crafters! I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Landmark Episode 100 of the podcast and it's January 18, 2023  as we record this.  Main Topic: Landmark Episode 100 with some clips PATREON: No new patrons this week. Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in us and in the podcast.  This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a postcard from me, a shout out on the podcast, and we can make announcements for you on air. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.    Comments: Amazon Review 5 stars: The Scent of Apple Tea: A story about the choices we make, beautifully written! I chuckled, shrugged, shook my head, giggled, smiled, and cried happy tears. A beautiful story superbly written! I look forward to reading more stories written by this author! Announcements:    1) Writer Craft Writing Retreat is scheduled for next August 24-27, 2023. Tickets include all lodging and gourmet meals, plus instruction and coaching and retreat time on the river, in Marcola, OR. “We’ll be touching on book structure, story hypothesis, plotting that doesn’t hurt, author action plans, and more.”  Go to valerieihsan.com/retreat for more information. Alumni and patron price is $775.  Early Bird price ends January 31st. $800 Only four tickets left. Monthly payments are an option. Send me a message Valerie@valerieihsan.com for a unique PayPal link, or go to the shopping page on my website to purchase in one lump sum.  2) We need topic suggestions and interviewees. (Once a month.) Please send to writercraftpodcast@gmail.com.    UPDATE: Got a cold. First one since pre-covid. Weird. Hope it mostly clears before next week. Rest of the week will be for finishing up client work and packing for CR.   Just finished:    Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus     I'M READING:  Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World by Lisa Wells; Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.  Up Next:  too early to tell Erick's Reading:  The Farthest Shore Ursula LeGuin Writing in Restaurants by David Mamet Heroic Hearts     Show Notes:  The weird way Erick reads anthologies : He reads the featured short story first, then the shortest one, and the next shortest, and so on. Most used words this year: Valerie: planner, self-care, I've got to go walk the dogs. Erick: Why can't I hear through my ear buds? I collected a few clips and outtakes from the past year that really seem to me to highlight what this podcast embodies for us. And that's: laughter, books, and shared experiences. And we'll end with a couple meaningful stories and quotes. So here it is, a hodgepodge of what I love about the podcast and why I can't imagine stopping. Resources:  Raven Publicity (publicity for authors) The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror Contact Erick for business-starting advice. Contact Valerie for book coaching for help writing your book. Other Resources: Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter. Valerie's new day book for the year 2023 is: Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates. I've published our 2022 Book List on the website: valerieihsan.com/podcast-news   The Author Life Community Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIEO866 ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)   Find Us:   Valerie’s Services: https://valerieihsan.com Valerie’s Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com Valerie’s Facebook Page and Instagram account Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor