For this very special first episode, Ondi is proud and excited to welcome author Nikki Hay. Nikki joins the show for an in-depth discussion on the creative process and the wonderful and plentiful sources of inspiration our universe provides as well as some tips for authors to keep their inspiration fresh; she shares her ingredients for — if not the recipe for — creativity. She also offers some serious advice for aspiring writers, especially women, looking to pivot away from their current careers and towards writing or other creative projects. Her latest publication: Without Words: One Heart's Courageous Journey to Love Beyond Borderslaunches on February 11th; follow the link to pre-order. Tips on nurturing your creative self Learn to trust yourself and your message, own your story, and draw from it to feed inspiration. Follow your intuition and commit to your work — until that point of complete commitment to a book or idea, it’s very easy to get distracted. For people pivoting from their current career to writing, Nikki advises they be careful not to have a protracted transition as it can cause burnout. Creative endeavors like writing are a plunge into the depths of the soul — connect to your higher spiritual power to keep your well full. No great work is done in a vacuum — reach out to people who can help keep you on course, give you support, and keep you accountable. About the podcast Welcome to the Story Time Show, the official podcast of Story Launcher, a writing, publishing, and marketing company dedicated to empowering positive change through the written word, because books change people and people change the world. Visit the Story Launcher website for more details on how Ondi can help you write your own bestseller in less than three weeks! About your host, Ondi Laure Ondi Laure is an author, writing coach, and musician residing on a ranch in Wyoming. She enriches the lives of others through her writing craft in realizing the magnificent power that story processes in reminding us of the savagery of the past, shaping our present, and creating hope for our future. Ondi is an author of both fiction and nonfiction books and articles and has been featured in Forbes Magazine. Get in touch with Ondi on her Website|Twitter|Instagram|Facebook|LinkedIn About Our Guest Nikki Hay is an attorney and practiced law for nine years before which she worked in the non-profit sector. Her most important work and the one that reflects her true creative passion is her journey as a wordsmith and author. You can learn more about Nikki Hay on her Blog|Medium|Facebook Mentioned in this episode Without Words: One Heart's Courageous Journey to Love Beyond Borders, by Nikki Hay The true confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson Mark Twain Agatha Christie Louis L’Amour George Eliot — Mary Anne Evans Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life, by Mary Anne Evans To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee Social media sharing “Asking about the book is the same as asking about me! Before I wrote the book, I had to ‘live’ the book!” — Nikki Hay “I had a hard time truly expressing who I wanted to be.” — Nikki Hay “Every struggle can be a strength.” — Nikki Hay “I hope that reading the book does for readers what writing the book did for me, which is to rekindle that awareness of what a beautiful story we all have.” — Nikki Hay “I was known as a little ‘Belle’ when I was younger, the girl who was absent-mindedly reading a book while she walked down the hallway and bumped into something.” — Nikki Hay “I love writing up high, if I could write in a treehouse I would love to do it!” — Nikki Hay “It’s a very isolated practice to be a writer, but it doesn’t have to be.” — Ondi Laure “There is no recipe for fulfillment in your creativity, but there are ingredients: faith, commitment, and joy.” — Nikki Hay