About this episode

Portia Elan shares the journey of publishing her debut novel, Homebound, and discusses her experiences as a writer and educator.

DON’T SKIP THIS ONE! Portia Elan has written Rachael’s favorite book in recent years, and THIS is the story of how her debut novel has come to be released with such gorgeous (and deserved) fanfare !  Portia Elan earned an MFA from the University of Victoria before returning home to California, where she has worked as a teacher and public librarian. She is a former Lambda Literary Fellow and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife and an abundance of cats. Homebound is her first novel. ✏️ 90 Days to Done and 90 Day Revision NOW OPEN! 🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage (New perks, like editing! And quarterly online writing retreats included!) Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too) Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more. 📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publish EXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list):  ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book…

People in this episode

Host: Rachael Herron

Guest: Portia Elan

Topics covered

• book publishing
• writing process
• author interview
• debut novel
• literary fellowship

Keywords

• Portia Elan
• Homebound
• book publishing
• writing advice
• MFA
• Lambda Literary Fellow

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Victoria

Books & works: Homebound

Places: California, San Francisco Bay Area

More episodes of Ink in Your Veins

• Lunch Hour Writing, with Moorea Corrigan · April 23, 2026 · 39 min
• How to Be Relentless About Protecting Your Writing Time, with Kelly Yang · April 16, 2026 · 38 min
• Writing Without Pressure, with Alicia Jo Rabins · April 9, 2026 · 30 min
• Who Hurt You? with Ashley Herring Blake · April 2, 2026 · 47 min
• The Black Herron 42 · April 1, 2026 · 58 min
• On Letting Life (and Writing) Surprise you, with Maria J. Morillo · March 19, 2026 · 41 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Ink in Your Veins podcast page.