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- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
10,001 - 25,000 - Monthly Reach
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25,001 - 75,000 - Active Followers
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5,001 - 15,000
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On the show
Recent episodes
78: The Hidden Power of Subtext
Apr 29, 2026
Unknown duration
77: Your Craft Questions Answered
Apr 15, 2026
Unknown duration
76: Your Story is Missing a Spine w/ Jill Tew
Apr 8, 2026
Unknown duration
75: Your Reader Brain is F*cking Up Your Writing
Apr 1, 2026
Unknown duration
74: Tell Don't Show
Mar 25, 2026
Unknown duration
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/29/26 |  78: The Hidden Power of Subtext | This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss everything about subtext. It's the words left unsaid, the hidden agendas that keep us turning the page, the implications that have us hooked on every word.Join the Turning to Story Substack! | — | ||||||
| 4/15/26 | 77: Your Craft Questions Answered | This week, we're answering YOUR questions! You're getting insight on what we think is the most important craft advice, how we've changed since starting the podcast, and what it's like having a horse for a husband. All this and more!Join the Turning to Story Substack! | — | ||||||
| 4/8/26 | 76: Your Story is Missing a Spine w/ Jill Tew | This week we've got a special guest-- the extremely talented and incredibly smart queen of dystopian, Jill Tew, talks with us about how all stories need a thematic spine. Come for the incredible craft knowledge, stay for how Jill schools us both on the true meaning of The Hunger Games.Join the Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 4/1/26 | 75: Your Reader Brain is F*cking Up Your Writing | This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss how the reader side of your brain is absolutely sabotaging the way you write! Readers want the characters to kiss RIGHT NOW, but the author needs them to dangle on that yearning for forever. Want those fanart worthy moments? It takes build up! Buckle up, because Lyssa's got a list of knowledge!Join the Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 3/25/26 | 74: Tell Don't Show | This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith turn a piece of well-known writing advice on it's head! We're told to show not tell, but what if telling, at exactly the right moment, is the most powerful tool in your writerly toolkit?Join the Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 3/18/26 | 73: Creating Romance Universes with Emily Charlotte | This week, we're joined by romance author supreme--Emily Charlotte whos debut, Heart Check, has earned well-deserved praise and some pretty amazing fandom response! We decided to pick her brain on how she's designed the Varsity Universe. We're talking immersion, ongoing character arcs, and all about your favorite YA sports romance universe.Join the Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 3/11/26 | 72: The Story Genius Method | This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith take a deeper look at the Story Genius method by Lisa Cron. We're talking character exploration, scene cards, and . . . horses??? It gets wild this week!Join the Turning to Story Substack! | — | ||||||
| 3/4/26 | 71: Leveraging Interiority | This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith talk all about the character's inner world. How many thoughts should you convey on the page? How can you bring the reader close to the characters journey? Did Jaime from Game of Thrones deserve more?!? Find out!Join the Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 2/18/26 | 70: The Character Intro Formula | This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith tackle character introductions. It's not as simple as simply describing the hot main character as hot with epic hotness. Turns out, there's a fine craft to it!Join the Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 2/11/26 | 69: Elevating Prose with Specificity | This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith dive into line edits to analyze what makes truly great prose. The trick is specificity not pretty-ficity (i.e. focusing on just making pretty prose for pretty prose sake). It's all about choosing your words with great intention. Join the Turning to Story Substack! | — | ||||||
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| 2/4/26 | 68: The Key to Irresistible Relationships Part 2 | That's right! This week, authors Lyssa Mia Smith and Anna Mercier return to finish exploring the tax that all relationships should have in order to keep the reader engaged. We're talking tropes, line level tactics, and . . . Scottish accents?Join the Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 1/28/26 | 67: The Key to Irresistible Relationships | Think of your favorite bookish relationship, romantic or not. Why do you love them so much? The Hound and Arya. Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma. Shrek... and Fiona...? That's right, this week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith dig deep into a little known secret: the relationship tax. It's what makes those relationships buzz!Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 1/21/26 | 66: You Need Layers, Not Complexity | We're back and ready to live, laugh, and learn in a whole new year. This week, join authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith as they discuss how to build plots using layers, not complexity. Why? Because it'll make those big moments hit even harder! Also, those quiet, character building moments will feel so earned and needed!Follow us on the Turning to Story Substack for all the show notes! | — | ||||||
| 11/26/25 | 65: Romance: The KISS Method | If you've been with us for a while, you might recall our episode on romance arcs. Well, we've got a treat for you! There's more to creating crackling romance than conflict, and it's a lot simpler than you think. It's all about the KISS method, or keeping it simple! Join authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith as they discuss this new method for analyzing a great romance!Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 11/12/25 | 64: Earning Plot Twists and Reveals | How do you avoid an overly complicated plot? How do you write a plot twist so good readers will scream? It's as simple as setting up story beats at every opportunity and paying off on them in satisfying ways. This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss exactly that--setup and payoff!Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 10/29/25 | 63: Crafting Friction On Every Page | This week, author Lyssa Mia Smith puts on her psychology hat to lead us through emotional energy. It's sometimes more important to understand what characters are trying not to feel, and readers love the ways they try and suppress those emotions. Darcy hand flex from Pride and Prejudice anyone???Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 10/22/25 | 62: Character Development w/ Clare Osongco | This week, we're turning to the wisdom of character creator extraordinaire, Clare Osongco! We're talking maximizing various POVS, digging deep into how scenes truly impact characters, and so much more!Turning to Story SubstackClare Osongco's Website | — | ||||||
| 10/15/25 | 61: Perfect Beginnings | This week, join authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith as they discuss what three main elements make the perfect beginning of any story.Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 10/8/25 | 60: Fast Drafting for Slow Writers | The wait is over, folks! Author Lyssa Mia Smith is here to report on how the Turning to Story practices worked for her as she fast drafted a project (and sold it quickly). Did she have to majorly rewrite? Did she end with a workable draft? Just how many tears did she cry?! It's all out on the table this week! | — | ||||||
| 10/1/25 | 59: Applying Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs | It's season 5! We're back! We're... talking characters again! Join authors Lyssa Mia Smith and Anna Mercier as they discuss how to use Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to craft stunning, well-round characters. Come for the craft knowledge, stay for the giggles!Remember, you can get in on our TTS preorder campaign. Visit the Turning to Story Substack for more information.Preorder Gilded in Vengeance!Preorder All We Hunger For! | — | ||||||
| 6/11/25 | 58: Your Story Needs Conflicting Goals | This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith, tackle how to maximize conflict using opposing character goals. What the heck does that mean? It means intentionally giving two or more characters desires that are mutually exclusive. It’s making sure character goals collide. They are in conflict with each other. Only one can win. Join us to learn more!Check out the Turning to Story substack | — | ||||||
| 6/4/25 | 57: The Power of Prose | This week, we're breaking down the art of good prose; specifically, how it delivers the promise of the premise. We're talking sentence lengths, verbs, and punctuation!Follow the Turning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 5/28/25 | 56: Specificity: A Lit Agent's Craft Secret | Listen, we could tell you all day what it takes to make a query and a novel sparkle, but why not hear it from a star agent like Michaela (Mike) Whatnall? That's right! This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith chat with Mike Whatnall of the Dystel, Goderich & Bourret agency about what makes a project really stand out and the answer is: specificity. Mike's craft insight covers everything from pitches to magic systems and everything in between.Michaela Whatnall's WebsiteTurning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 5/21/25 | 55: Writing Romantic Intimacy w/ Ruby Barrett | This week, romance author Ruby Barrett teaches Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith all about intimacy. From kissing to open-door spice, she shares the techniques that will make readers swoon.Ruby Barrett's WebsiteTurning to Story Substack | — | ||||||
| 5/14/25 | 54: It's not Writer's Block, it's Stakes | You've got your outline and character arcs ready, but the draft isn't drafting! What do you do?! Never fear. This week, authors Anna Mercier and Lyssa Mia Smith discuss the one thing that's likely holding your wordcount back: personal stakes.Join the Turning to Story Substack for extra episode notes! | — | ||||||
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Chart Positions
1 placement across 1 market.
Chart Positions
1 placement across 1 market.