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Welcome to another episode of Fierce Calling! Today, host Doris Swift sits down with the inspiring Stephanie Alton—literary agent, marketing expert, wife, and mom, who shares how profound moments happen when we listen to God. Stephanie encourages us with her remarkable journey, including unexpected steps and small beginnings that God used to lead her right where she’s meant to be. Through stories of divine timing, open doors, and the willingness to say “yes,” Stephanie offers practical advice, reminding us that every big dream starts with small, faithful steps.

Whether you’re looking to step into your calling, start writing, or need encouragement in a difficult season, this conversation will remind you that God’s purpose unfolds in ways we never expect. So grab your coffee or tea, get comfortable, and get ready to be inspired by the story of how ordinary obedience can lead to extraordinary impact.

Episode Highlights

00:00 “Surrender Your Joy Stealers”

05:18 “Divine Path to Literary Agent”

10:57 Embracing Opportunities in Publishing

12:15 “Journey to Becoming a Gatekeeper”

18:33 Undeniable Divine Intervention

20:31 Milestone Moments of Faith

23:05 Understanding Audiences and Unique Voices

29:16 “Building Your Writing Platform”

32:21 Steps Lead to Big Opportunities

35:46 “Know Your Audience’s Expectations”

40:50 Parenting Reflections and Growth

41:53 Cherishing Motherhood and Personal Timing

45:51 Join Our Book Pod Network

49:07 Blessings and Goodbye for Now

Connect with Stephanie!

You can connect with Stephanie through The Book Pod Review and Interview Network Facebook group, as she mentioned in the show! You can also find out more about her and which conferences she’ll be attending at theblythedanielagency.com, which is in the process of being updated soon.

Stephanie Alton is a wife, mom, literary agent, ma

What Threatens to Steal Your Joy?

Check out Surrender the Joy Stealers: Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You 6-week Bible study rooted in John 15. You can find more info at https://dorisswift.com/book/

Let’s Stay Connected!

Find my free resources including Fear Fighting Bible Verses, Simple Tips for Sharing Your Faith, Surrender the Joy Stealers, Step Out of Your Doubt and Into Your Calling ebook, and more on my dorisswift.com homepage!

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Need a Speaker for Your Next Women’s Event? Now Booking for 2025 & 2026!

Check out my speaking page, grab my flyer, and let’s talk about me speaking at your next women’s event…

Thanks for Listening!

I hope this episode with Nancy encouraged, inspired, and challenged you to cultivate community, live and walk in the value and worth God gave you, and take action where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect. You’ll find links in the show notes to connect with Nancy and with me.

If you’re looking for a speaker for your next women’s conference, retreat, luncheon, or workshop, reach out and connect with me on my speaker page at https://www.womenspeakers.com/florida/edgewater/speaker/doris-swift

Let’s have a chat about your 2025 event!

Stay tuned for more amazing content and remember to check the show notes for all the links mentioned.

Thank you for being a part of our community. We are grateful for your continued support and encourage you to embrace the unique gifts that make you magnificently you.

I hope you’ll join me next time when I talk with another woman who is taking action where her passion, compassion, and conviction intersect …

Until then friend, have a blessed week, and I’ll talk to you soon.

With love and joy,

Doris

P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on social media for bite-sized wisdom and inspiration from Doris and our incredible guests! 📲

Transcript

Doris [00:01:53]:
What is threatening to steal your joy? What is it that feels so heavy right now that you could barely stand? God has a plan, and his plan is to surrender it. Surrender it to him. It might be a prodigal. It might be a relationship, a marriage, something with your job. So many things. We have so many amazing blessings, but there are so many things in our life that threaten to steal our joy. I’m Dora Swift, author of the award winning six week bible study, Surrender the Joy Stealers Rediscover the Jesus Joy in You, And it helps women rediscover the overflowing, ever present Jesus joy within that fills, empowers, and ripens the fruit that God produces in our lives. Using personal and biblical stories, I share how you can identify your joy stealers, surrender them to God, reawaken the joy within, and share the joy with others.

Doris [00:02:56]:
You can do it on your own or with a group. Check it out, friends. Surrender the Joy Stealers. Rediscover the Jesus joy in you. It’s available on all the online retailers. It’s time to take your joy back. Welcome back to the show. Today, I’m excited to introduce to you my friend, Stephanie Alton.

Doris [00:03:17]:
She is an amazing literary agent and a marketing agent. She’s a mom, a wife, and a million other things that she does. She’s a a busy gal, and she is with the Blythe Daniel agency, which is my literary agency. So, of course, I love them so much. And we’ve connected over the years in a lot of different ways. I used to be a blogger in their blog, network and just kind of connected at conferences. And Stephanie has an amazing story that she wants to share with us. So welcome to this show today.

Doris [00:03:53]:
It’s so great to have you, Stephanie.

Stephanie Alton [00:03:55]:
Thanks for having me, Doris. I love getting to see you, and thank you so much for having me.

Doris [00:04:00]:
Thank you. I I appreciate you being on. And we actually tried this once before, but we kind of chatted all the way through, and

Stephanie Alton [00:04:06]:
we never actually recorded.

Doris [00:04:07]:
But that was fun, and I enjoyed it. And it was meant to be for that day. You know, sometimes we make plans. You know, God directs our steps, and that was what what was meant to happen that day. So this was meant to happen on this day. So I would love it. So I just you know, how he moves in our lives and everything. And and so I would just love if you would share a little bit about your story and how you’re taking action where your passion, compassion, and conviction intersect.

Stephanie Alton [00:04:35]:
Okay. Well, to touch back to what you were saying the last time we tried to connect, I think, a while ago, today, I was sitting there thinking I was like, oh, no. Not again. This time, it’s gonna be tech issues or something. And so I was thinking, there’s probably gotta be something really good that’s gonna come out of our conversation today. The last time we tried, we just went way off course and chatted all of our time away. And then this time, I’m like, I’m probably well into my appointment time, and I still cannot get in there. So, I’m just gonna believe that our time today is anointed and meant to be something important.

Stephanie Alton [00:05:18]:
But, I think the most relatable way that I could share that god has moved through my life is how I became a literary agent. And I think it even started when I felt the calling to become a writer. But I’ll I’ll I’ll fast forward through that part and then get to the good another good part because there’s two really divine interactions that I’ve had with writing specific, but this one led me to my job. And I had met Blythe, Blythe Daniel of the Blythe Daniel agency, at a writer’s conference and, pitched her my project. It was my first writer’s conference, and I made every single rookie mistake you can make. So if anyone’s thinking about writing, you’re you’re in good company, and I come with a humble heart. I have made all the mistakes. And I still make mistakes now, so, there’s that too.

Stephanie Alton [00:06:23]:
I met her. I connected with her. It was, like, right when Facebook was, like, the ultimate thing. It was so cool. And if somebody was your accepted your friend request, it was even cooler. So, after the conference well, she had told me no on my projects politely. She’s like, well, do some work on it and then send it back to me in, like, six months. And I was like, yes.

Stephanie Alton [00:06:46]:
I didn’t get a direct no. So, I took that with, like, a little bit of a dose of excitement. And, I friended her, and she accepted. And I was like, major win. And then, I just kept an eye on her because she would share about different conferences she was going to or little events that she would do in Colorado Springs where where she lives. And, I had fam I still have family there. So I always kinda, like, was watching to see if when I was going to Colorado, if she was doing something, and she always had so much interaction. Like, so many people would respond to anything she posted.

Stephanie Alton [00:07:32]:
And, again, this was years ago over ten years ago when Facebook was, like, so so cool. And one time, she posted that she needed she wanted somebody to review a movie for her, and I thought for sure there would already be, like, dozens of people saying, I’ll do it. I’ll do it. But there was no one there, and it the post had been up for a couple of hours. And so I sheepishly raised my hand and say, I’ll do it. I’ll do it. Thinking she was gonna reply with, no. You you don’t have enough email subscribers or a big enough platform or this, that, and the other.

Stephanie Alton [00:08:08]:
But she said yes. And she not only sent me one movie to review, she sent me two. And so I thought, oh, man. I’ve gotta get this done right away. Like, it’s top priority. And so I I watched the movie and took a bunch of notes, and I I did the review, and I sent it to her. And we were just corresponding about you know, she was like, so have you been working on your project and this, that, and the other. And during this season of communicating with Blythe, we had recently moved to Colorado Springs to be near my husband’s family.

Stephanie Alton [00:08:43]:
And we were living in my sister in law’s basement. It was finished. It’s nice. It’s beautiful and everything, but it’s still basement of your sister-in-law. Mhmm. So, the job that my husband had was paying him probably about 25% of what he was promised, which was a significant sting. We were basically living for free and could not get by. So, I had I had this calling with writing, and I’ve been blogging and doing these different things.

Stephanie Alton [00:09:18]:
And one afternoon, evening time frame, I just I left my bedroom. I was walking out. I just finished doing some writing, and I was like, alright, god. You want me to do this stupid writing thing? I need to get paid for it. And I was thinking I was gonna get an article that I had never written, and it was just gonna happen or something. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was like, I need to get paid for this. It’s taking too much time, and I need some money. And so I just left the room with my sassy little attitude and went on with the evening, probably cooking dinner and getting my littles in bed and stuff like that.

Stephanie Alton [00:10:00]:
And so the next morning, as my alarm went off, I popped open my email because I had been getting I’ve been in communication with Blythe, and she’d been sending them early in the morning because she’s an early bird. And I was looking to see if there was anything there, and there was. And she was like, this is probably gonna sound so strange, but I feel like God is asking or telling me to ask you to come and work with me, and I about dropped the phone. I was like, nuh-uh. No way. And she was like, I really would love for you to come and help launch this blog network that I want to put together. And she’s like, if this is just too weird or whatever and and you don’t wanna do something like that, I I would still love for you to be a part of it and do reviews and stuff like that. And I was like, I had to, you know, put the phone down, go on with my morning, and keep my cool, and make it look like I wasn’t gonna say yes, like, instantly.

Stephanie Alton [00:10:57]:
Get I had to, like, you know, leave a little bit of time in there. And so, I was like, yes. I would love to do that. And, from there, I I did go on and start helping her with mailing books for publicity campaigns that she was doing and coordinating the blog network and doing, just basic communication, keeping track of things. And then as that got got into a really good rhythm and had a good sense of things, I just started saying yes to anything she was asking me to do, and it evolved into me going with her to writer’s conferences and and seeing from the professional side of things how things how she would respond to pitches and brainstorming with people on the fly. And, it I just really came alive in that. I I just I could hear what people were trying to say, and I would be able to pull that out of them and help them turn it into a message of some degree. And whether it was, like, book worthy or article worthy or something, it it was still being able to hear what people were saying and turn it into something else.

Stephanie Alton [00:12:15]:
And so, from that, I started working more on proposals and then started taking my own pitches and representing my own clients. And then over the last couple of years, I’ve been really over the last year, have been doing publicity campaigns with Blithe as well. So it’s, like, it’s not only been it started so, so small and just little yeses all along the way, and coming up with different ideas and always just interacting with more people and listening to different stories. And, I’ve, in essence, kinda become a gatekeeper of, I I guess that’s what people call publishers and agents and, people on the publishing side as gatekeepers, like, letting the messages in. And I had this moment a couple of weeks ago at bible study. I was just taking notes, listening, and, I had this thought. I was like, like, I, years ago, would say that I always wanted to reach out and have a good connection with new believers and kinda help lead them to the gate. And I was like, in some degrees, a gatekeeper in my personal life and a gatekeeper in my professional life.

Stephanie Alton [00:13:46]:
And so, like, I’m thinking there’s gotta be something in there about the gate that I need to look into more, but I think that’s the the gist of, like, what where God’s moving professionally for me is just, sending me incredible people like you and others to interact with and work with in different degrees and, just maintain relationships, encourage people, help them amplify their messages, and, I guess, just keep showing up in different ways. So I I think in a nutshell is what I’ve been up to and what I do and how god led me there.

Doris [00:14:32]:
Wow. I love that so much. And first of all, I wanna say that it’s very encouraging that god can still take our sassy little attitudes and do something with it. Right? How many times have we, like, said, god, I can’t do this or what do you know, the the the the. Anyway, god, and, you know, god isn’t really interested in our insecurities. He’s interested in our willingness to go. You know, we see this with Moses and, you know, all the people in the bible that, like, what? Me? I can’t do this. And it’s like, well, of course, you can’t.

Doris [00:15:03]:
I’m gonna help you do this. And through me, you are able to do it. And Right. Sweet story that you, so I feel like too that God moves us where we’re meant to be. So, you know, I’m gonna move here because of my husband’s job, but that didn’t really pan out exactly as we would have thought it was supposed to, you know, living in this beautiful basement, but yet, you know, still struggling financially. And, you know, the whole thing with the open doors, but I love to kind of how you remind us that not to despise the small things as the word says. Yeah. You know, you just started by raising your hand and saying, okay.

Doris [00:15:41]:
You know, and that’s what God’s looking for. Like, you know, send me. Right? So, wow, that is so special.

Stephanie Alton [00:15:48]:
Well, just on a side note, my husband did get another job, and we did get our own house. And we we lived in a beautiful home in Colorado for many years, and then we recently well, it’s gone, like, three years now. We’ve lived in Texas down by the Gulf Of America now. And it it’s been a a lovely location to be in as well. Not as majestic, just majestic in a different way. So, he did go get another job, but, it it was just not what we expected. And it was just such a season of it being not what we expected. And the joke at the time was the weather was so unusual for Colorado.

Stephanie Alton [00:16:30]:
So even the weather was unexpected when we went there. So, like, all the small talk things were unexpected. So, yeah, I I and I see that now. Like, even in different events and ministry things. I think people are always waiting for someone to sheepishly face their hands and say, I’ll do it, even though that you have, like, this massive gut wrenching fear of uncertainty or feeling unworthy or not equipped or trained or whatever. So it’s I just I have an unusual background for publishing. I have an unusual story for publishing. Mhmm.

Stephanie Alton [00:17:17]:
I’ve done all the things wrong. I’ve done a lot of things right, but I I’ve I’ve done some things wrong. So

Doris [00:17:25]:
Yeah.

Stephanie Alton [00:17:26]:
It it’s owning your mistakes and adapting and moving forward. So

Doris [00:17:32]:
Yes. And learning. Yeah. And everything that we do wrong, we learn from. So I think we learn more from what we do wrong than what we do right, you know, I think in a in a way. Yeah. And and and to how it’s amazing how God equipped you along the way. Because sometimes women and some of our listeners might discount themselves as being able to do something because they haven’t gone to college for it specifically or they haven’t had any background or experience.

Doris [00:18:01]:
And God, you know, he is a God of on the job training. Would you say that, Stephanie? Right.

Stephanie Alton [00:18:07]:
Absolutely. Absolutely. I’m I’m living proof of that. I’ve always had a fascination with writing and have had some skill in that area. So it’s not a totally far stretched. It’s just, like, unbelievable that, like, something you dreamed of as a child comes to fruition. Mhmm. And it wasn’t necessarily in my own power.

Stephanie Alton [00:18:33]:
It was something that God ordained. And I I can’t deny that. It’s just so undeniable. There’s no way that Blythe had any idea that any of that was going on. There is no possible way that she knew that I prayed that prayer. Nor in that tone, there is no possible way I would have known what she was thinking on the other end. I mean, even if even if you looked back through the email records or whatever, there was no indication of what I was going through or thinking or wishing for and praying for, and there was no indication of what Blythe was needing on her side or what she was thinking about doing. That was just ultimately divine intervention.

Doris [00:19:24]:
Yeah. And and I just love how over and over and time and time again these things happen, and it’s there is no possible way it could be anything else but God. And like you said, she didn’t have any idea what was actually going on, but it didn’t matter about the details. It just matters about being obedient and saying, you know, and how she was like, I really feel like God is telling me to do this, and she did it. Yeah. And so

Stephanie Alton [00:19:50]:
Yeah. Yeah. That’s So we both had that sheepishly raising our hand thing. Like, she was like, this could be really weird. I understand if you don’t want to. And I was like, oh, we’ve got a movie. So, like, had, you know, neither one of us taken those unsure steps forward, we wouldn’t be where we are today. And so, that is one time I’m so grateful I I listened.

Stephanie Alton [00:20:16]:
I mean, not that, like, every other time that I’ve listened has it been rewarding to some degree, but I I feel like that is one of the most profound times that I listened and then something life changing came from it.

Doris [00:20:31]:
Yes. It’s powerful how we have these kind of milestone moments in our lives where we can pinpoint and we just don’t forget it. You know, it’s just something that we can always look back and see God’s faithfulness and, you know, how he actually sees us right where we are. You know, that he does know us personally, that he does see us, and that he does care about our situation and, you know, how he steps right in. And sometimes things happen quickly, like your experience with what? Like, you had just prayed that. I had a similar experience with her. And so she is just an amazing woman of God, and it’s just for her too that she was open to listening to what he had to, you know, tell her and to just step out like you said, and just that you both stepped out in faith and did this. And look what has come from it, the fruit that has come.

Doris [00:21:21]:
Because through you, Stephanie, I mean, you have all so many different clients. I know that you’ll send me you’ll send me pitches, for your clients about, you know, being on the show. And I’m always like, oh, yeah. That sounds like a great fit. And you just have this, like, natural instinct that God has given you to know what is a good idea or what is a good message. So when someone brings you a book proposal, it may not always look like what they think it should look like, but you pull things out of it. So what has been, like, some of your experience with that? How you can pull stories out and help them develop it? And like you said, help them with developing a message that they might not maybe it was a different direction that they even thought they were going.

Stephanie Alton [00:22:07]:
Well, this is probably another odd connection to that. But, naturally, I’m a person who likes to, like, sit in the back of the room so I could slip in unnoticed and leave without notice. But I think it’s because I’m always trying to read people. I’m looking at how the room’s responding. I’m looking at I’m just I’m I’m an analyzer of people, and I think I’ve always grown up that way. I’ve always just, like, walked in and read the room some, and, like, always been very aware of tone and messages and and stuff like that to some degree. And I just found that it it translated into, people’s writing. And sometimes when I meet with people one on one, I can do better listening and hearing what they’re trying to say sometimes better than what I can on paper.

Stephanie Alton [00:23:05]:
And sometimes I’ll see something really good on paper and wanna talk to someone. And I think it’s so that I can get that barrier down on them and then really hear it from them and get a good sense of who their audience is and who comes to them for what. You know, like, what is it that people are coming to them for? And I know I’m not the only agent that looks for that, but I just try to hear what somebody’s trying to say and get a sense of who their audience is to make sure that there’s a match. And then the third element would be is, like, how are they saying this differently than what than how it’s already been said? What are they doing different? And so I think it’s it’s a combination of, like, reading people, looking at their message, looking at their audience, looking at what’s already been done. And then I I think I’m always playing a little bit of a matchmaker. I’m thinking back, okay. Who told me they’re looking for what? Like and sometimes it’s a podcaster or, knowing who likes what. And then sometimes it’s a recent call with an editor or, somebody else.

Stephanie Alton [00:24:17]:
Maybe I know somebody looking for an article or a guest post or something on that topic, and then it’s like my brain’s like, oh, squirrel. This person needed this, and this person has this. Let’s see if we can do some matchmaking here. And so I think my brain always has, like, 37 tabs open or more, and it’s, like, running through all these different things. And then somehow AI is going on in there. And it’s like matchmaker. Matchmaker. Let’s connect them.

Stephanie Alton [00:24:45]:
And so I don’t know. There is no good way. There’s probably, like, a better formula for this, but just with the odd way my brain works and what I do. I I that seems to be my sign the the science behind what I do. Mhmm. And then, of course, there is you know, I’ve I’ve got to factor in who I’m already working with. So if I have a project similar to something that’s being presented to me, I I look at the person and I’m like, is everything they’re gonna turn out gonna be very similar to what I already have, or do I even know anybody who would take this on for anything? And so some of that also gets factored into it too. So there there’s no, like, straightforward answer on that, but that’s kinda how I get there.

Doris [00:25:38]:
Yeah. I love it. It reminds me of, you know, when you’re young and you play the memory game with the cards on the table, and they’re all kinda face down, so we really don’t know what’s under you know, what what the card is. And then you kinda flip them and go, oh, wait. I remember this card is over here in the right top corner.

Stephanie Alton [00:25:56]:
I’m really good at that game. Yeah.

Doris [00:25:58]:
I imagine.

Stephanie Alton [00:25:59]:
That’s interesting that you said that because I’m pretty good at that game. Yeah. And, whenever I would play, my boys had a game like that, I think, for car, when the movie Cars came out Mhmm. With Lightning McQueen and Mater. They had a little game set with all the little cars in there, and I would always win. But then I was like this I can’t I can’t be that kind of mom and just always,

Doris [00:26:23]:
you know, like, not

Stephanie Alton [00:26:24]:
let my kids win. So I I would try to help them too. So it felt like I was winning all the way around. Interesting that you say that. Like, connection point. I’ve always been good at that game.

Doris [00:26:34]:
Yes. Isn’t that funny? Because if we look back, you know, and those of us who can look back, you know, on our life and see, like, where has God actually really equipped us? Like, that we might not connect the dots when we think, oh, we’re not equipped or we can’t do that. But there are certain skill sets and certain gifts that he’s given us, you know, talents that we develop. I mean, there’s certain things that we wanna do, but we just really can’t, it’s not like our calling. It’s not really what we’re wired to do. So we can try and we can try and we can pray and God can help us do it, but it’s not maybe our wheelhouse. And when we find that sweet spot, it’s, like, so amazing. So what would you share with someone listening today who has thought, you know, I really would love to write, and I just don’t know where to start.

Doris [00:27:26]:
What what advice would you give someone listening today? Because this this I can’t say that. Statistically, someone listening today or several listening today will have thought about that. So what would you say, Stephanie?

Stephanie Alton [00:27:40]:
So if I was looking back to when I started out and things that I would do differently and then add that to what I I look for in a writer, I would honestly say some of the best ways to get started is by writing articles and setting up some sort of newsletter. I I say that because platform is a big piece of publishing. So if you want to pursue publishing, it’s really important to know what your message is and who your audience is. And some of the best ways to discover that is through consistent communication with a group of people, and it will start small and it will grow slow until you figure it out, and then something will click and then it will go much faster. And then the reason I suggest writing articles is because it will help you learn how to fit into guidelines. Each publishing plate, like magazine, local newspapers, Those are great places to start. Those local ones start small and build that relationship with them. Keep showing up for them because they’re gonna teach you how to meet deadlines, fit into a certain word count, and be able to learn how to take feedback.

Stephanie Alton [00:29:16]:
And they’re giving you feedback not to hurt your feelings. You get feedback to help you be a better writer and to fit into what they need. And so, that will also start building your platform as well. So you’ll have all those articles under your belt, and you’ll have a consistently growing newsletter under your belt. And if you think about it, you’re gonna spend all this time writing a book and getting it published, and you may not sell as many copies as you hope for, but you may reach more people with those articles that you’re sending out or those newsletters that you’re sending out because eventually, you’re gonna get to an outlet that distributes to thousands of people, and your message that day is gonna reach thousands of people. And who knows? Maybe one day your email newsletter list, email subscribers, we’re hoping for those to be in the thousands. And so over time, this message that you have within you is reaching so many people through these ways that are gonna help you get a book deal, but you’re you’re feeding people all this time and you’re learning your skill, you’re honing your craft, you’re defining your message and getting an understanding of how you can offer what’s in your heart to people in a way that they’ll receive it. So that I think for a beginner would be two of the best ways to start it.

Stephanie Alton [00:31:00]:
The rookie way to do it is to never publish anything, to attempt a book proposal, write this big book, and then it fits nothing. And then you feel devastated when you go try to take it to an agent, and they’re like, no. I’m sorry. And it’s not because they want to crush your dreams or your spirit or anything like that. It’s because the writing doesn’t fit into industry standards. And when they look at your platform, they see that it’s gonna be a challenge to sell a lot of books until you really get an understanding of how some of that works. And so starting small will help you grow bigger down the road.

Doris [00:31:45]:
Thank you. Such great advice. And, you know, how you talked about it helps kind of train you for learning how to write and, like you said, meeting deadlines and word counts and and actually honing in on the craft of writing because it’s a craft. And you can continually learn and grow in it. There’s opportunities for, you know, conferences. You know, if if someone is interested in meeting Stephanie, they can check out where she’s gonna be in different conferences for writers. It’s so important to attend those. But like Stephanie said, start small.

Doris [00:32:21]:
And I think that’s one of the themes that is coming out in this episode, and I think it’s gonna encourage a lot of people because we always wanna jump to the big step when we’re waiting. But the small steps add up to big steps, and we’re Yeah. Been entrusted, you know, with with, with gifts and things. And and God has even I mean, we have stories to tell. We all have a story, and we’ve been entrusted with with it. So, but I love that you have encouraged to write articles. And there there are so many publications that look for it. Where would you say, like, Publishers Weekly, or where is a good place that people can go and find opportunities? I mean, they just kinda come out on social media a lot of times too.

Stephanie Alton [00:33:09]:
Right. Yeah. It depends on your friend group on that too. I see a lot of opportunities through there, but that’s probably my friend connection being in the publishing industry. So I may see a little bit more of that than, others. I honestly think if it’s somebody just starting out or looking somebody looking to add something to their list, I would take a serious look at your free newspaper, the one that you find in the restaurants, the one that, may still get delivered for free, Whatever your local version of that is called, scope them out. See what kind of articles. Do a little bit of research and see what they talk about in those local papers.

Stephanie Alton [00:34:01]:
Mhmm. Because they’re always looking for somebody, and a lot of them will pay you, like, 13¢ a word, 12¢ a word, I think. And, usually, it would be a 500 to 2,000 word article. So it’s not a significant amount of money, but it it’s something. But don’t discard the free ones. Go with the free places. Guest blog on somebody’s site. Sometimes that’s a little more relaxed than a publication, but those local outlets are one of the best places to start.

Stephanie Alton [00:34:35]:
And your first article may not get picked up, but keep trying. If they give you any feedback, apply it to your next article or make a revision to that article and send it back to them if they will allow that. And I think searching through Google or whatever search drive you use, you’ll be able to pull up their their website or you may already know what their website is because it would be on that paper, and then look for the editor and submission guidelines and follow those directions. Mhmm. Because that will go a long way when you can submit something that they’re looking for. And I think something Blythe has taught me is that when we’re sending proposals to editors Mhmm. Our clients will sometimes be frustrated with us because we do so much back and forth before we will send it to an editor for consideration is we try to make the editor’s job as easy as possible. We wanna make sure that they have everything they need.

Stephanie Alton [00:35:46]:
Anything we can think of that they would think of, we wanna include that information. We wanna make sure that the writing is in their style. We we do a lot of thoughtful action steps to make sure that the editor’s job is as easy as possible to take the project and move on with it without having to do a whole lot of, work. And so if you go into submitting your article with that kind of mindset, making sure that your article is gonna need the least amount of revisions or the least amount of edits, and it fits the word count and their style and all their guidelines, you’re gonna make their job easier. And then the next time your article lands in their inbox, they’re gonna be like, yes. Let’s see what they’ve got going on even if it cuts in line of others because they know you’re gonna do a good job. So it’s hard to do a good job if you don’t know what they’re looking for. So take that time to make sure you figure out what it is that they’re looking for and then give it to them.

Doris [00:36:50]:
Yeah. Give it to them. That’s right. Yeah. That’s awesome. Yeah. And and two because there’s so many times that it’s so frustrating that maybe writers will submit something, and they have not read the submission guidelines. And so right away, it’s like, boop.

Doris [00:37:06]:
You know, it’s out. So to do your due diligence. But I love how you recommend looking for the free newspapers and the places that you can write. And even if you do it for free at first, and eventually, you might find, you know, that there’s places that will pay you for it. But also, it’s, you know, it’s building your literary resume and your building experience, which is which is really cool. And, you know, that’s what agents, and publishers look for as well. But, you know, there’s a lot of even secular publications that have a faith section, you know, something that they concentrate on, something faith based, you know, if they wanna promote something going on, like maybe churches in their area and things like that. So so, yeah, there’s so many opportunities.

Doris [00:37:50]:
And, yeah, this has been just such an enjoyable conversation. And I know that the listener has been encouraged because it really can apply to a lot of other areas in our life, not just writing and publishing. It, you know, just starting small. Starting small, stepping out in faith and obedience, and just trusting God to see what he does. Sometimes it’s like, next day happens where he answers a prayer, and sometimes it takes a little bit of a waiting. But I think you’ve shared just an incredible story of how God can really move when we pray and ask for that. So thank you. Is there anything else that you might want to share before we we close, something encouraging that you can say that, you know, might just be an impactful statement or something for somebody that’s listening right now?

Stephanie Alton [00:38:45]:
I would pay attention to what God is telling you because sometimes he tells you the same thing multiple times, and we ignore it. And oftentimes, some of the biggest blessings are in what it is that he’s telling you to do. Even if it feels a little bit uncomfortable, you have a thousand reasons to talk yourself out of it. It’s probably the thing that you’re gonna thrive the most in, especially if you’ve got that message multiple times. Like, I think there’s times we get a nudge and we just, move past it, and we don’t ever hear from God on it again. It’s the times when he is, like, nudging you multiple times. It’s like, okay. Let me let me consider it a little more.

Stephanie Alton [00:39:39]:
Let me take our first step and then and go into it. So, whatever it may be, whether it’s starting a new business or adding a a member to your family or doing something completely different than what you’ve done now, like, that will lead you in the right direction. We just have to be open to doing that and taking that first step.

Doris [00:40:07]:
Yes. That is so encouraging. And I know that someone listening today is it’s something that they really needed to hear. Because sometimes life can be so hard, and we just don’t see what’s happening. Like, there’s nothing happening and or maybe they just don’t have it feel like they have any direction, you know, what is my next step? And and we shouldn’t be anxious about anything as the word says, and to be anxious about what our next step is. But I love that advice you just gave. Be open and just pay attention to what God is telling you and how he’ll repeat it over and over in different ways through different people. And, you know, sometimes he just wants to hit us over the head with, oh, hello.

Stephanie Alton [00:40:50]:
Right. Right. Well and, you know, something I one last thing is, like, I think back to when my my boys were babies, and I just I loved absolutely loved being home with them and doing things with them. But I also felt a little bit disconnected from the world, which I was because I was in my home in rural Missouri, and there wasn’t a lot around me. And so, like, I felt a little bit lost to some degree. But all those times playing memory with my kids and doing different things, it wasn’t lost. It it’s being used in other ways and paying attention to what my children need maybe helped me pay attention to what others need now. And so, like, all of those things where we’re obedient in a season, even though we feel like, oh, this this isn’t all that I can be, but and maybe that’s the case, but it’s not all that you’re meant to be right now.

Stephanie Alton [00:41:53]:
And so, like, the time, I am so glad that I didn’t rush through anything with my kids because I never would have I’ll never be able to get that time back. And I think now as they’re much older, I would really feel lost if I would have thrown that time with them out the window and done for tried to force something else. And, so I’m glad that I was obedient and, enjoyed that blessing of being able to stay home with my kids because I know that’s something that not everybody gets to do. But as they’ve gotten older, my opportunities have expanded, and it it I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I think that’s God’s hand keeping me where I need to be and opening doors as they’re supposed to, but it also kinda coincides as I get freedom from my home responsibilities too. And I I see that there are so many other agents doing so much more than I’m doing and have way more clients than I have and do a million other things that I do. And I I just I think a couple years ago had a major moment, and it’s like, it’s not my time yet. Like, I am doing what I’m supposed to be.

Stephanie Alton [00:43:15]:
I’m my number one job is making sure that my boys turn out okay. And then I I’m also doing something that I very much enjoy, which is in publishing. And so it’s just that that it’s not really a balance. It’s juggling. But I I know that when my season of being a hands on mama is is done, then maybe I’ll be even more hands on with more clients and stuff. So I’ve just had to learn to say no to some things so that I can say yes to the right things. And sometimes my yeses are a little more leaning towards home life than professional life, and that that is just where I’m at right now. And I’m okay with that because I I don’t regret the time I’ve given to my family.

Doris [00:44:07]:
Yeah. Wow. That’s golden right there. Because how you kind of talked about that the the skills and the way that you parented and still parent your child, your children, your boys, your boy mom, it can actually be applicable to other things in your life, and it actually enhances your skills and things that you could do like listening and finding out what needs are and that kind of thing. And and the fact being that we we have different seasons in our life, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that seasons can’t overlap too, you know. Right. And so it’s kind of like Florida. I live in Florida, and, like, one day it could be, like, 30 degrees, and the next day it could be 80 degrees.

Doris [00:44:49]:
So it, like, it’s like winter and summer overlapping or something, or spring or whatever, and it’s not necessarily a cut and dry thing. So that’s really great because, there might be someone listening right now that feels like I am not walking in my purpose. But open your eyes, and as Stephanie has encouraged us to do, see where we are right at the moment and just live in that moment and just do, like, one step at a time. And God opens the doors in the right season and not to fall into the comparison trap because that Right. Yeah. You just covered that. So that’s such an important reminder that we’re all on different, roads, but all of our roads ultimately lead to Jesus, for our heart to, you know, share and, you know, whether it’s being, you know, a mom at home or out in the workforce or whatever we do that we glorify God and just share Jesus with the world and the love of of grace. So well, thank you so much for being on, and I would love if you would share how can the listener connect with you.

Stephanie Alton [00:45:51]:
Well, if you’re a writer, we do have a blog network. Well, it’s evolved into a blog and podcaster network called the Book Pod. So we do have a Facebook group that we’re in when we have opportunities open up, and we’ll send the only emails we send from there when we have opportunities available. So I would love to connect with you there. If you’ve ever had an interest in reviewing new release books or if you’re a podcaster looking for guests, we would love to have you, in our community and be part of that. I also go to play two, maybe three conferences a year, and that’s where I’m in the boat of I can’t do too much. And so I kinda keep it, to a few. I am sometimes on social media.

Stephanie Alton [00:46:53]:
If you remember, I am naturally in the back of the room, so I don’t generally put a lot out on social media. I just am a total hypocrite on that because because it’s such a key piece for, influencers to have, a presence there. And I just I’ve had a really hard time knowing, like, some of the hardships that some of the people in my feet are going through. And then we only tend to post the highlight reels, and I feel like it’s such a rub and then I’ve just had a significant internal conflict.

Doris [00:47:30]:
Mhmm.

Stephanie Alton [00:47:31]:
And I’ve done nothing. And so that’s probably I know it’s something I have to work on, but, so I am on Instagram sometimes.

Doris [00:47:40]:
Okay. Well, thank you for being honest about that because I think a lot of us feel that same way. And there’s times where we we post and not post or whatever. And so I I thank you so much for just being humble about that and to really share your heart on that. And so great. Well, thank you so much for being on the show. And if you are listening today, we are so thankful that you were here. And we know that God had something for you in this episode that you were meant to hear today.

Doris [00:48:06]:
And I’ll have all the links in the show notes and the information that we talked about. And, Stephanie, I hope to have you back on the show sometime.

Stephanie Alton [00:48:15]:
I’d love that. Maybe I’ll come back when you celebrate 300 episodes.

Doris [00:48:19]:
Awesome. Yeah.

Stephanie Alton [00:48:20]:
Yeah. Because you just had you just had your two hundredth episode or released your two hundredth episode. You’re probably well into the two hundreds now. So

Doris [00:48:30]:
Yeah.

Stephanie Alton [00:48:30]:
Come back and celebrate with you.

Doris [00:48:33]:
That sounds amazing and prophetic, no haha. Now I guess I’m gonna do 300 then. Yes. You are. Yes.

Stephanie Alton [00:48:39]:
You are. Okay. I believe it.

Doris [00:48:40]:
Thank you. Thank you so much. Alright, friends. Well, thank you so much again for joining us today on Fierce Calling, and we hope that, you know, this really blessed you. And if it did, we would love if you would share it. And, yeah, and if you would rate and review Fierce Calling, it will help others find the show. And, Stephanie, I look forward to talking with you more and looking forward to also some of the other great guests that you’re gonna send me because it’s just always amazing. And so, Fran, thank you so much.

Doris [00:49:07]:
God bless you, and we will talk soon.

Stephanie Alton [00:49:09]:
You’re welcome. Thank you.