I had different plans for this episode. And then I ended up in a Belgian ER at 6:45 in the morning with hives and a lip that decided to start swelling. So... change of plans.

This week, I'm taking you behind the scenes of three days in my life as a self-published author: the writing, the taxes, and yes, the ER.

I talk about:

• My ER stories as a writer (and former cancer patient) in three countries (the US, France, and Belgium) and how those experiences end up in my books, including the nurses who made everything easier (hi to the one who called me Bebe)
• Finding the small good moments even in crappy situations, and why sometimes that's easier said than done
• Why I moved the preorder date for # My Christmas Wish-List to the end of July (spoiler: there was just no way)
• Bringing Plato (our beagle who we said goodbye to in 2025 ) into My Christmas Wish List, and how writing him helped me get back into the story
• Revision talk: digging deeper into character voice, the "worst and best" to make characters more three-dimensional, a scene more alive and why knowing where the dog is in every scene actually matters
• The Belgian VAT saga continues (I called the FinMin help line, I sent an email, I wait)

And Cancer Is Not My Brand is now up for preorder! What a wonderful way to announce it. Such a nice segue.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Preorder Cancer Is Not My Brand: https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/
• Preorder My Christmas Wish-List (now coming end of July): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish
• Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThat
• Becca Syme's QuitCast for Writers — "Why We Want You to Prioritize Your Health This Year as Authors" (also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ1Lm5o3IcI)
• The Creative Penn — "Writing Through Grief and Rebooting an Indie Author Business" with Jami Albright: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2026/06/01/writing-through-grief-and-rebooting-an-indie-author-business-with-jami-albright/
• Jami Albright's website (and her book The Summer That Changed Us): Steel Magnolias meets Schitt’s Creek with the heart of This is Us.https://jamialbright.com

Choose your favorite e-retailer https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW

• Susan Dennard on writing more than one book at once "Finishing what You Start": https://stdennard.substack.com/p/finishing-what-you-start

Tell me where you're listening from! Email me at elodie@elodienow.com

• My websites: https://www.elodienowodazkij.com and https://www.elodienow.com

• My Substack: https://elodienowodazkij.substack.com/
• My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@authorelodienowodazkij
• My Patreon: Elodie's Writing Nook https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook

Thank you so much for listening from the US to Nigeria, Hong Kong to Lithuania, Belgium and France and Germany (and hi Alex, hi Maman, hi Gisela). I hope your socks are fluffy, and if you're writing, that the words are flowing.

Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.