#111: Student Spotlight: From Messy First Draft to Publishing His Debut Novel With Edward J. Cembal

In today’s episode, I’m sitting down with Edward J. Cembal to talk through what it was like to write, edit, and publish his debut novel, The Monsters In Our Shadows. Here’s a preview of what’s included:

[04:00] A quick introduction to Edward J. Cembal (including a timeline of his writing, editing, and publishing journey) as well as a summary of his debut dystopian novel, The Monsters In Our Shadows

[09:00] Edward describes what it’s like working with a book coach, an editor, and beta readers—including what it’s like receiving feedback from different sources

[22:00] What it’s like to dig deep and put your “blood on the page” in terms of writing a protagonist who shares some of your own inner struggles—and how Edward feels now that he’s gone through that process

[28:00] Edward shares how his novel accidentally ended up in Hollywood—and how this totally uprooted his plans to self-publish (but why he self-published anyway)

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Edward J. Cembal’s website
• Edward J. Cembal on Instagram
• The Monsters In Our Shadows (out October 2023)
• Richard LJoenes (cover designer)
• Andrew Lowe (editor)
• Rachel Cone-Gorham (RxD Agency)
• Wango Films (Tim Doiron, James van der Woerd, April Mullen)
• Want to learn more about my Notes to Novel course? Click here to read all about it and join the waitlist. Doors are opening again soon!

👉 Click here to get access to the FREE limited-episode podcast series "Write Your Book In 2025." Learn the 3 things you need to write your book in 2025, how to silence your inner critic so you can write confidently, practical strategies for finding time to write (even when life's busy), and my clear roadmap from idea to finished draft.

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