Episode 5 of the PepTalk Creative Corner #Podcast features special guest Aiko Pickering from Monthly. Hosts @katiesilverwings.bsky.social Ali D. Art discuss the creativity behind compassionate business and identifying a community's needs, and find out what sort of creative creature our guest is.

Check our new episode of the PepTalk Creative Corner Podcast featuring @shawnzilla77.bsky.social ! rss.com/podcasts/pep...

Check our new episode of the PepTalk Creative Corner Podcast featuring @shawnzilla77.bsky.social ! rss.com/podcasts/pep...

Studio cat Lady Maneki would like to remind you that it's okay to take some time to recharge your emotional and physical batteries before you return to the hard work of trying to make the world around you better place. She suggests spending some cozy time with your nearest feline guardian.

I'm beginning a draft of my next book. Usually, my writing process is a discovery and figure-it-out-on-the-fly sort of thing. My characters have provided me with a rough outline this time. This is a good sign, yes? #AuthorLife #Writing

I sit down for a moment. Void Cat: mrr? [Sits next to me like an Egyptian statue] Calico: mrr-prrp? [Same pose, other side] I am well-guarded, and my guardians are purring.

In addition to being an author myself, I'm also an illustrator and stained glass artist. One of my regular cover design clients has comissioned me to make *real* stained glass panels as the cover artwork for several of her upcoming projects. Who wants to see this process in action?

Who are your three favorite living creative folks?

I sat down for two seconds, and I am now trapped under a sleepy calico who typically doesn't want cuddles...

It's come to my attention that this is Sci-Fi day! Fellow sci-fi authors and readers, show me your favorite sci-fi books!

Presenting: My latest cozy sci-fi adventure, No Amount of Trouble! Start 2026 by joining human pilot Julian Potts as he hitchhikes home on a series of alien vessels with his pocket-sized guardian, Mirawynd, in this tale of exploration and found family.

Presenting: My award-winning Sci-Fi novel, Celadon! Start 2026 with a cozy exploration of an alien planet as Celadon Toreval befriends a visiting human and does their best to balance family and duty in the face of a looming interstellar war. PS: It's coming out in audiobook this year! 👀

If what you spend the last day of the year doing is an indication of what next year will contain, what does your 2026 look like? Mine is apparently full of the shiny glass I'm sorting with my cats. #NewYear'sEve

It's cold enough that I've happily switched from working in my semi-outdoor glass studio to curling up under three quilts and working on website upgrades and new stories... #AuthorLife #ArtistLife

Fellow authors, which of your characters do you find most difficult to write?

I'm starting to plan new #StainedGlass suncatcher designs for next year. What animal do you want to see me make?

December means 🌟baking🌟 all the treats I didn't have time to make the rest of the year. What's your favorite cookie?

@katiesilverwings.bsky.social is the Directing Artisan of our Creative Arts division, currently focusing in lead-free stained glass, as well as PepTalk's book and cover designer. Silverwings is also host of the Strange Space Adventures Podcast and Co-Host of the PepTalk Creative Corner Podcast.

I have the delight of being PepTalk Productions' directing artisan over their Creative Arts Division!

Hello, world! We are PepTalk Productions, LLC, a Memphis-based creative arts studio, indie publisher, and author and creative services company. In addition to offering writing coaching and book design services, we also publish both fiction and non-fiction books.

👀 My secret to making neat aliens for my science fiction series who aren't just "humans... but [trait]!" ... is being mildly obsessed with nature documentaries. I mean, really, folks, echinoderms *exist* and they're so. Very. Weird. I love it.

Who here likes cozy slice-of-life sci-fi with a side of adventure, found family, and cool aliens? 💙📚 I may have written exactly the book series you're looking for...

My new novel, No Amount of Trouble, is finally here! I am so excited to be bringing this book out for all of you to read. If you like cozy slice-of-life science fiction with a side of adventure and cool aliens, this is the novel for you. www.katiesilverwings.com/post/the-nex...

Miss Lottie the #VoidCat is helping me in the studio again today... 👀 #StainedGlass #WorkInProgress

It's day two of Honky Tonk Stomp 2025! Check out all of the color combinations of lead-free #StainedGlass #RollerDerby skate suncatchers I made to match all of the teams. Which is your favorite? Thanks again to Memphis Roller Derby for hosting this amazing event!

I am thrilled to be at the Honky Tonk Stomp roller derby tournament this weekend! Thanks so much to Memphis Roller Derby for hosting the event and letting me bring all of the shiny lead-free stained glass suncatchers I've been making! #RollerDerby #StainedGlass

A question for all of my fellow sci-fi authors and readers: Who are your absolute favorite book bloggers/reviewers in the genre? 🌌👀

Honky Tonk Stomp 2025 is just around the corner, and I'm in full-on #RollerDerby skate #StainedGlass suncatcher mode! I'll have my books and all of my lead-free stained glass at the tournament next weekend! Memphis Roller Derby has all the info on their website. It's going to be a blast!

I am thrilled to announce that my lead-free #StainedGlass pieces are now available in the Artist's corner of Fratelli's Café and Catering at the Memphis Botanic Garden! It's so exciting to have the opportunity to place my stained glass artwork in a location folks can visit between shows!

I had an absolute blast today at the Lawrence County Library! The librarians brought me and a host of other regional authors in for their meet and greet today. I love getting to visit libraries with my books! #library #AuthorTales #SciFiBooks

I'm livestreaming from my studio today! Come hang out with me while I cut glass for #StainedGlass #RollerDerby skate suncatchers! You can find the livestream on YouTube and Twitch. I'm @katiesilverwings on both of them!

I'm livestreaming from my studio today! Come join me on www.twitch.tv/katiesilverwings as I cut out pieces for a mega-batch of #StainedGlass #RollerDerby skate suncatchers!

Are you looking for a free online writing group to join, where friendly fellow authors come to chat? How about one with an award-winning author and a helpful writing coach as the group leaders? The PepTalk Productions free writing groups are for you! www.peptalkproductionsllc.com/writing-groups

📗 How Ocean Merlani Stole their Navigator 📖 A cozy slice-of-life sci-fi novel about a young alien martial artist at a university in Texas who befriends a human, learns to ride horses, and generally gets into trouble as they try to find their place in the galaxy. Https://linktr.ee/katiesilverwings

It's #LFLweek and I'm celebrating by sharing copies of my books in the little free libraries I come across! This copy of my novel "How Ocean Merlani Stole their Navigator" is now waiting at a little free library in Orange Beach, AL for a lucky reader! #strangespace #beachcat #indieauthor

Joys of being an indie author: Leaving signed paperbacks in little free libraries for readers to find!

Greetings, indie bookstores, libraries, artsy places, podcasts, and such! Would you like to have an award-winning indie author and artisan at your next event? Even better, this one comes with an AI-free guarantee! (Why, yes, this author is me! Get in touch if this sounds good to you.) 📚🌈 📚💙

I'm both an award-winning indie author and a stained glass artisan. What sort of bookish stained glass pieces do you want to see me make? 📚💙 📚🌈

The birds in our garden are so used to me now that "Bob" the robin sits on the tree above me whenever I'm working in case I unearth a worm...

I sit down to write, and suddenly a black cat is sitting on me, paws up on my chest, purring. I don't know how or when she appeared, but she's clearly pleased with herself... #VoidCat #AuthorLife

I spent most of the day with my father visiting hardware stores to acquire all the components of my new display setup for events. It's going to be so nice when I finally have everything put together!

Any day on which I get to connect in person with folks who want to read my books is a good day! (Today was a rather good day!) 📚🌈 📚💙

It's #FreeComicBookDay ! I'll be spending it with the rest of the Rogue's Gallery Memphis Geekery Art folks at Lootz Collectibles ! If you're in the area, come by and check out the shiny lead-free stained glass and award-winning cozy slice-of-life sci-fi books at my table! fb.me/e/5BQoa0jIM?...

Ah, the glamorous life of an Indie Author... Saturdays mean getting up at 4 AM to head out to show off the books at an event!

I'm livestreaming from my #StainedGlass studio again today! Come hang out with me on Twitch (www.twitch.tv/katiesilverwings ) while I work!

I'm livestreaming from my stained glass studio again today! You can find me on IG @lilfaerysilverwings or on Twitch @katiesilverwings !

I'm experimenting with livestreaming from my studio today! If you want to hang out while I work on my latest batch of stained glass suncatchers, you can join me live on YouTube! I'll be live off and on all afternoon. youtube.com/@katiesilver...

All right, folks! If you were to become a sea creature, what species would you be?

It's indie bookstore day! I'm an indie author, I adore indie bookstores, and I want to see what wonderful books you've acquired today and where! Show them off in the comments! #IndieBookstoreDay 📚💙 🌈📚

I'm taking a break from my stained glass work today to sit on our porch and work on my next novel. There's nothing like writing outside with the birds and the flowers on a beautiful spring day!