How to Find the Time to Write Big & Bold, with MT Solomon

Well hey there, Writer—and welcome to another cozy conversation on The Resilient Writers Radio Show! 

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with speculative fiction author M.T. Solomon, and let me tell you—this one’s for you if you’ve ever wondered how to balance real life with writing big, bold stories.

M.T. grew up in Alaska, and the vast, rugged wilderness she called home now infuses the lyrical, emotionally resonant stories she writes. She’s been creating stories since she was six (including hand-stitched books at age 11—how adorable is that?) but it wasn’t until after college and becoming a mom that she fully embraced her dream of publishing novels. 

We talk about her journey from self-publishing her first novel, All the Fragile Hearts, to continuing the duology with Whispers in the Dark, and how she ultimately found her way to traditional publishing with Liar Queen—a lush, politically charged fantasy series released through Golden Scales Publishing. 

M.T. shares how empowering it was to have a team behind her this time, supporting everything from editing to cover design. But she’s also refreshingly honest about what it took to self-publish—yes, including marketing her own books and even flying out of Alaska to sell them in-person at events.

We also dig into her approach to world-building—hint: it involves lots of people-watching, note-taking, and a fully developed story bible. If you’re writing speculative fiction and struggling with how to build a believable world, you’ll love M.T.’s practical and creative insights.

Of course, we couldn’t let the conversation go by without talking about how she gets the writing done—because M.T. is a mom, a partner, and a coach. From early-morning writing sessions to squeezing in time in the school pickup line, she shares how she carves out time and energy for her work. She’s refreshingly real about what it takes to prioritize writing without losing yourself in the process.

Whether you’re working on your first novel, wondering about the self-pub vs. traditional debate, or trying to write your book in the chaos of daily life—this episode is full of heart, encouragement, and grounded advice.

Grab your tea (or coffee!) and come join us. You’ll leave inspired to keep going, one messy, magical page at a time.

P.S. Here's some great news! The Resilient Writers Radio Show is featured as one of the Top 90 Book Podcasts on the web. You can find the list here.

Transcript

I’ve some good news: The Resilient Writers Radio Show has been listed as one of the Top 90 Book Podcasts on the web, Canada edition! (The link has some great new podcasts you can add to your queue!)

The Resilient Writers Radio Show: Interview with M.T Solomon – Full Episode Transcript

Intro:

Well, hey there, Writer. Welcome to The Resilient Writers Radio Show. I'm your host, Rhonda Douglas. And this is the podcast for writers who want to create and sustain a writing life they love.

Because let's face it, the writing life has its ups and downs, and we want to not just write, but also to be able to enjoy the process so that we'll spend more time with our butt-in-chair getting those words on the page.

This podcast is for writers who love books and everything that goes into the making of them. For writers who want to learn and grow in their craft and improve their writing skills. Writers who want to finish their books and get them out into the world so their ideal readers can enjoy them. Writers who want to spend more time in that flow state.

Writers who want to connect with other writers to celebrate and be in community, in this crazy roller coaster ride, we call the writing life. We are resilient writers. We're writing for the rest of our lives and we're having a good time doing it. So welcome, Writer. I'm so glad you're here. Let's jump right into today's show.

Rhonda:

Well, hey there, Writer. Welcome back to another episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show. I'm delighted to have as my guest today, M.T. Solomon. She was born in the American South and raised in the remote wilderness of Alaska. She's been writing books since she was six. At the age of 11, she wrote and hand stitched the binding to her own story–a riff of Calvin and Hobbes with a female protagonist. I love that.

And she graduated from Portland State  with a BS in liberal  studies and a minor in writing. Her work has appeared on the cover of Gotham Writers Class Schedule and has been featured on the Spinning Pen and WOW! Women on Writing. Solomon's writing takes cues from her childhood where the vast setting of Alaska seemed just as much a character in her life story as she did. And she favors broken or imperfect characters and uses a lyrical, repetitive style within her prose. Her work is heavily influenced by the female authors she grew up loving, Margaret Atwood, Lois Lowry, and Alice Hoffman, all favorites of mine as well. And she is the author of Liar Queen, Whispers in the Dark, and All The Fragile Hearts. So welcome, M.T. 

M.T

Hi, thanks for having me. 

Rhonda:

So tell me a little bit about it. I know I've just said that you started writing really early. When did you start taking your writing seriously, like studying it and deciding that you did want to pursue this all the way through to publication? 

M.T

I didn't really take my writing as in I wanted to pursue this as a career until after college. I was obsessed with female authors in college. I took every single female author inspired class I could, whether that was Victorian women writers or Irish women writers or women writing through apartheid in Africa.

I was just obsessed with the storytelling that women can do in any aspect of life really. And then after, it was pretty much after I had started having children, I kind of realized it had been a dream of mine and I'd put it on the back burner to help other people achieve their dreams, help my husband through medical school and help my children learn and grow. And so I decided to start pursuing it after my second son was born. 

I met fellow author, Nova McBee, she writes YA thrillers and she's fantastic. And she said, no, you can do this, this is doable. And she kind of held my hand a little bit and helped me walk through the steps of the process of going about getting published. 

Rhonda:

And your first book, what, tell me a little bit about where that came from and the decisions you made there around publishing. 

M.T

So All the Fragile Hearts came from just late night writings. It was honestly the first book I ever felt compelled to continue and finish. I know a lot of authors, you know, start stuff and then like there's tons of books on all authors, you know, laptops that are unfinished. But it was the first book that I ever finished from start to finish and actually started the process of editing and the process of, you know, going through and making it the best it could be. And I ended up self-publishing that after shopping it around for a little bit.

And it got some interest, but nothing, you know, the typical, like, we just can't pick it up right now. We can't, you know, do that for you right now. So I decided to go ahead and do it myself, partially because I wanted to share the story. I wanted people to be reading it, but also because I wanted to understand the publishing industry a little bit better, because as a self-published author, you have to do all the things yourself.  And I wanted to understand the steps that, that went with producing a book.

Rhonda:

All the Fragile Hearts, that's a duology. 

M.T

Yes. So the second book, Whispers in the Dark, I self-published as well a year later.

Rhonda:

Okay. And why did you decide to self-publish the second one? I guess your experience publishing the first one must have been positive. 

M.T

It was good. I enjoyed the control I had. And I just felt like if I self-published the first one, I should self-publish the second one. I could have, guess, shopped it around and had, you know, I already had established an audience for that book. So it went well, but I don't know, I did enjoy it. But I ended up  self-publishing it because I wanted to.

Rhonda:

Great. And so your current book, the one most recently published, is traditionally published?  

M.T

Yes, Liar Queen. Liar Queen is published with Golden Scales Publishing, which is a new smaller publishing house that I discovered on Instagram and I went to their website and I really liked Kira and Nicole, their sisters, they run the publishing house. I liked their mission statement, I liked their background, it just kind of connected for me so I queried them directly. 

Rhonda:

Okay, so didn't, so this time you just went straight to an independent press. 

M.T

Yes, yes. And what's been the difference between self-publishing and traditional publishing?

M.T

Well, there's not as many steps for me personally. I'm not seeking out an editor. They found me an editor that I worked closely with. So that was nice. They found the cover artists. They are  taking the lead with marketing. I certainly still have to do a large portion of the marketing, but there's that assistance that helped there. Plus just having their enthusiasm for the novel is great. It really helps with like imposter syndrome having  those people who already believe in your novel as much as you do back you and help you push the book out.  

Rhonda:

So do think you'll stay traditionally published at this point?  

M.T

I think that I take each book as it comes. It really depends. I don't feel like I need to have one single track as far as how I publish novels. I do, Liar Queen is a series, so I do plan on sticking with the publisher for the series, but  I have other books that I hope to query an agent for and acquire an agent and sell books that way. I honestly approach each novel as its own distinct track. 

Rhonda:

Okay. So you're the elusive hybrid author, someone who does both, right? 

M.T

Yeah. I suppose. Unintentionally. I'm not trying to be different. That's just how I feel. That's what works for me.

Rhonda:

Okay. I love it. So how did you decide that Liar Queen was a series? 

M.T

I just really loved the world I created. I loved the  tension between, it's about essentially, if you break it down to its basic level, it's about acquiring a throne who gets to be in charge of a kingdom. And I really loved the world and the tension I built around that throne. So I just wanted to come back to it. I left the cliffhanger with the first book.

And I don't mind when novels are a cliffhanger and there's nothing after that. I think it's cool that authors do that sometimes and the reader has to decide what they think happens. But with the reception it received, I just decided  it should carry on. There's more story there I can tell. So yeah, that's how I decided I was gonna write more. 

Rhonda:

Love that. Yeah, it's been quite well received, right? You had a glowing review really from Kirkus Review. Are you, so in this case, it's Mara who's the protagonist. Is the next, like, are you dealing with, is it another protagonist or same protagonist in the same world?

M.T

It would be a different protagonist in the same world. Mara would be there. She definitely would be a secondary character, but I like when books connect in that way where you're not necessarily following the same character, you know, through eight books, you get to know more people that way, more depth into the other characters, the side characters. 

Rhonda:

Yeah. I love a series. I'm a little obsessed with series. You know, there's just something that's satisfying about as a reader getting to the end of a book and having loved the characters and loved the world and loved the whole setup. And now you get to read more. So yeah.

So, M.T, tell me a little bit about your, so you've got a busy life, right? You've got a partner with a job, you've got children. What's your writing routine like? Like, how are you getting this done in the middle of everything? 

M.T

So I usually write in the mornings after everybody leaves. I  just, I don't do any chores. I just go straight to my desk and start writing. And I usually get two hours in in the morning. And then after that, if I can fit it in at any other time. Some days, like last week, I had a really  intense writing session and I was really on a roll and I wanted to continue writing that scene, that chapter I was working on. So I sat down later that night and  wrote while everyone was asleep. Sometimes I'm the mom writing in the bleachers when my kids are at practice or in the pickup line at school. I'll bring my laptop or my iPad pretty much everywhere I go in case there's an opportunity for me to work some more.

Rhonda:

Wow. And you find it easy to do that? Like just kind of drop in for 10, 15 minutes while you're waiting for something else. I love that.

M.T

Yes. Sometimes, sometimes it doesn't work. And I brought my laptop for no reason because I just couldn't get into it. But a lot of the times if I have my outline and I'm working through that  and it's first draft for sure, it's easier to do just because first draft for me is just getting words on the page. I'm not  super concerned with it being perfect.

Rhonda:

So was interesting, the authors that you mentioned that, you know, Margaret Atwood, Lois Lowry, Alice Hoffman, they have that edge of speculative, right? And you were writing fantasy. What is it about that genre that you particularly love writing? 

M.T

I just like creating these magical worlds, these massive world scapes and just interesting  societies. I feel like you know, the real life is, I like the escape of, escape of some of it, I guess. Just getting out of the real world for a bit and enjoying a bit of something magical and different is definitely what I enjoy about it. 

Rhonda:

Right. There's a lot of world building that goes with fantasy. How do you approach your real world building? Do you have any suggestions or tips for authors who are kind of, you know, decided to write a fantasy novel, maybe because that's what they loved reading and here they are now having to create an entire universe. It's a bit intimidating.

M.T

Yes, I talk it up to just being super observant. I live in Alaska, which is a magnificent feast for the eyes. So I have a great  palette to pick from as far as like expansive worlds go. But I just really, really pay attention to things when I'm traveling. I'm a people watcher. I watch people. I pay attention to like the little things because I feel like adding that to character development  makes the people more real. And then eventually if you're creating like some religion or continent or things like that, eventually you have to sit down and deal with the nitty gritty details and  write it out and figure out what you're doing exactly with that stuff. I can't write on the fly when it comes to that stuff. I have to have it all written out. I have to know how it works before I start writing.

M.T

Right. Do you use a story Bible at all? You say you kind of write it out. you are you like, you know, creating a story Bible and then going from there into the story? 

M.T

Yes. So the novel I'm drafting right now, the first draft that I have a story Bible, I have basically the history of the continent up until this, the moment of my novel, because I need to understand basically how the history worked that influenced the current politics and why the story is even happening the way it is.

Rhonda:

Are you at all interested in, like some of the writers you admire, are you at all interested in sort of echoes of our current societal makeup and challenges echoing themselves through your books? Like I notice The Liar Queen is super interesting in that way in that it seems to be something of a matriarchal ascension line to the throne. 

M.T

I do. I don't necessarily do it intentionally. I think that we all take in what's happening around us and it can come out either intentionally or unintentionally. I just, like I said in college, I adored the female view, the female viewpoint and how these women were riding through these tragedies and these lives and  understanding their point of view. So I think when I am writing, I'm trying to, even though I'm writing science fiction and fantasy, I'm trying to write stories about women in various roles in these amazing world scapes. 

Rhonda:

Gotcha. Yeah. And you mentioned other books that you're wanting to write. Are you, you think you're going to stay with fantasy or are  you open to other genres and exploring other genres?  

M.T

So I'm sticking, I think with science fiction and fantasy. I have a science fiction novel outlined and what usually happens is I get excited and I outline the book and then I write like five chapters and then I'm like, okay, I have to focus on one and finish one. So right now that just seems to be a bunch of fantasy novels, but I do have a science fiction novel I have outlined. I have a dystopian novel I have outlined. So I  plan to move out of fantasy a little bit, but I will always be in the fantastical realm of sci-fi and fantasy.

Rhonda:

Right, and world building. Yeah. Okay. And  just going back a little bit to the self-publishing before you were, before you published Liar Queen. So with the duology, what kinds of work did you have to put into in terms of marketing those books? I mean, you become your own publisher, but you're also, you know, you're a marketing department.  And was there anything in particular that worked for you? 

M.T

Well, it was all hard work, basically. It was not easy. Definitely social media is your friend, even if you don't want them to be your friend, it's your friend. You have to learn how to  maneuver social media. I'm still not very proficient at it. I just have a struggle with it. I'm not that person that wants to put it all out there all the time. So social media for sure is helpful.  

Just reaching out, I attended several events on my own. Before I joined my publisher, I signed up in I went to different events out of state. flew out of Alaska and  had a booth and talked to people and sold books. And it was fun. It was a great time. And I was blessed to have the opportunity to do those things. I know not everyone can do that, but if you live somewhere besides Alaska, it's probably easier for you to drive to different places and get into these events. And just talking to people about your story is really helpful. So just being able and willing to talk to people even just in your community about your books is helpful.

Rhonda:

How do you find it? I've never done that, like having a book, having a booth and then selling books at a booth. How did you find that?  

M.T

It was really nerve wracking at first, partially because I had accidentally seated myself in the  nonfiction side. And so people thought my book, they're like, was your book nonfiction? So I explained that I had made a mistake but it actually got me a lot of attention and then people wanted to come talk to me about my novel. And so  it was nerve wracking at first, but after a while, you know, I wrote the book, I love the book. So getting to talk about it actually is really easy. And people are at these events because they love reading, they love books. So they want to hear you talk about your book. 

Rhonda:

Yeah, that's such a good point. I think sometimes we forget, we feel like we're bothering people, but actually there's love to hear about the newest book, right? 

M.T

Yeah, yeah. 

Rhonda:

Yeah, you're not you're not bothering anybody.They want to know.

M.T

No, they want to. That's why they're there.They're there to talk about books and read books. And yeah.

Rhonda:

Was there, any are there any kinds of events in particular you would recommend?

M.T

Um, there's a lot of writer events that you can go to to study craft, but then there's also book events where you go and that's where you're mostly trying to get people to be interested in your novel. So there's different types of events. Ones you can learn like study craft and then other ones where you're actually taking your item, your book and, um, trying to get people interested in it. So I just be mindful of what you're looking at when you're looking at events.  Um, but I mean, I think getting out there, doesn't matter where it's at, is good.

Rhonda:

So true. And what about the online world? I mean, obviously you're in Alaska, so social media, have you done anything other than social media? I mean here we are in a podcast. Have you, what other things have you used to promote your books? 

M.T

So I've done quite a few podcast interviews and then everything else is just trying to figure out how to manipulate social media into doing what you want it to do. So I recently just partook in a huge giveaway on Instagram. So people had to follow and comment and then they got entered into this giveaway. So that's an option is doing something like that.

Other things are like my newsletter. I have a newsletter that goes out once a month and that's a good way to be more direct with people and let them know exactly what I'm doing and what I'm working on. I give away free little tidbits and sneak peeks up new projects and stuff like that. So that's an important one because that is something directly from me versus having to go through social media  and the lovely algorithm that, you know, guides people. 

Rhonda:

Yeah, absolutely. Uh, we'll put a link to your website. I think it's a really interesting author website and your newsletter is right there. I like to encourage writers to like to follow a bunch of writers and get on those news, you know, follow them on Instagram, get on their newsletter so that you can see what other folks are doing, both traditional published and  indie published writers are doing to market their books. Because in the end, whether we're traditionally published or not or indie, we've all got to participate in the marketing of our books. So yeah.

M.T

Honestly, studying what other authors are doing is a lot of how I learned how to do what I do  is getting on other people's newsletters, getting on their websites and looking how their websites are set up and how I wanted to set mine up. So, I mean, you're not copying anyone, you're just looking at other people's stuff and getting inspired on how you want to proceed.  

Rhonda:

And, MT, you're not writing under your own name, you're writing under your pen name. And I've noticed like your stuff doesn't have your face and that kind of thing. So that's all possible. People wondering, oh, can I use a pen name? What made you decide to use a pen name and what have been of the pros and cons of writing under a pen name? 

M.T

I decided to use a pen name because my actual name is a semi-famous person has it and so all the online real estate was taken up. 

Rhonda:

Oh true. 

M.T

Though I wouldn't be able to have the handle for Instagram I wanted or the website I wanted so I had to go a different way. Plus my name I feel like is really dated. There's not a lot of people like if you knew my name you would say oh you're obviously born in the 80s like it's clear. Uh, no offense to my mother, no offense, but, um, so I just decided I wanted to use a pen name. Um, and it's been good. Honestly, I've been able to separate my personal life with writing for the most part. 

Um, there was an incident where I was at my son's, um, event, a wrestling event last weekend. And one of the local fans of mine had my book and she was reading it in the stands and I saw it and I was like, that's a really cool looking book. And I didn't make the connection because I was in my personal setting of like, I'm a mom, I'm here cheering on my son. And I saw the book and I'm like, oh, that's a nice book. And I'm like, oh wait, that's mine. Like I am that person. 

Rhonda:

You saw your own book in the wild with someone reading it. 

M.T

Yes. 

Rhonda:

What a great experience that is. Did you say anything to her?  

M.T

She actually came up to me and asked me if I would sign it because her daughters loved it as well. And  she wanted to have me sign it to surprise them. 

Rhonda:

So that's really, it was fun.

M.T

Yeah, it was really cool, but it was very bizarre. I was like, oh, that is also me. I am that person. Got it. 

Rhonda:

But I love what you're saying there, like that, that the ability to kind of have a personal private life where like you don't have to share, here I am making waffles on Sunday on social media, you know, right. And you don't have to have your kids there and you, you know, very separate life. And then you do your promotion as an author through your newsletter, through social media podcasts and so on where you don't have to be like, oh, hey, it's me. Yeah. 

M.T

Right. 

Rhonda:

I do include bits and pieces of my life on like my Instagram and stuff because I do feel it's important to realize like I am a person. I am not just I don't just write and the things I do as a mother, the things I do as a coach, I coach volleyball. They play into my writing. They really do like how I write, what I write about. Um so I think it's important to include those snippets but I do think separating the two and realizing that I am, right now I am in author mode. I'm not in mom mode right now is important

Rhonda:

Okay, great.  And what are you working on right now? 

M.T

So right now I am, I've challenged myself to finish the first draft of a gas lamp fantasy novel by the end of February. And then I plan on, yes, it's my first gaslamp fantasy and I'm actually really, really enjoying it. And then I'm trying to gear myself up to write Liar Queen 2 and have it done by the start of June, the first draft. That way I can work on, go back and forth between editing them. 

Because I do believe in taking a break between the work, because if you go straight from first draft to editing, I feel like you can't see the forest through the trees, or the trees through the forest, however that saying goes. I feel like you're too close and you can't see the problem. So taking a break is always good for me.

Rhonda:

Do you work on two books at a time? Like, will you be editing both books or do you finish the draft and then decide to? 

M.T

No, I finish and then I completely shift to the other novel because novels also take on different tones, you know, time periods. The time periods of Liar Queen 2 is vastly different than the gaslamp fantasy. So I take a break. I will put the gaslamp fantasy aside completely and I won't even look at it and I'll work on Liar Queen 2. 

Rhonda:

That's great. We'll put a link in the show notes to the Liar Queen. It sounds like a fantastic,  fantastic read. Thanks so much for being with me today, MT. I really enjoyed this chat.

Outro:

Thanks so much for hanging out with me today and for listening all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed today's episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show. While you're here, I would really appreciate it if you'd consider leaving a rating and review of the show. You can do that in whatever app you're using to listen to the show right now, and it just takes a few minutes.

Your ratings and reviews tell the podcast algorithm gods that yes, this is a great show, definitely recommend it to other writers. And that will help us reach new listeners who might need a boost in their writing lives today as well. So please take a moment and leave a review. I'd really appreciate it. And I promise to read every single one. Thank you so much.