No Mess, No Magic is a podcast for writers who want to embrace the messy, imperfect process of writing.
Hosted by writing coach Monica Hay, this show is for writers who want to stop waiting for perfect conditions and start building a writing practice in the middle of busy lives, rough drafts, and creative resistance.
You won’t find rigid writing rules or productivity perfectionism here. Instead, we talk about the real work of being a writer: showing up when you feel uninspired, writing through doubt, and learning how to keep going when the process gets uncomfortable.
Because books aren’t written by people who feel magically inspired every day.
They’re written by people who keep showing up in the mess.
If you’re a writer who wants to stop waiting for perfect conditions and start building a writing practice that works in real life…
You’re in the right place.
Messy drafts welcome.
How to Reclaim the Joy of Writing with Zanni Louise
When was the last time you wrote something just for the hell of it?
Not because you were working on your manuscript
Just because it sounded FUN?
I don't know about you, but I find it surprisingly difficult to turn off the part of my brain that wants everything I do to be productive. Even when I'm writing for fun, there's often a little voice asking, "Okay, but is this actually going anywhere?"
And I know I'm not the only writer who struggles with this. 😂
So for this week's episode of No Mess, No Magic, I invited my dear friend Zanni Louise, an award-winning children's author with over 50 published books, to talk about writing like a kid again.
Zanni has spent years teaching creative writing to both children and adults, and one of the biggest differences she's noticed is how much easier it is for kids to just... CREATE.
They don't worry nearly as much about whether their ideas are good. They don't need every story to become something. They just play.
And somewhere along the way, a lot of us adults lose that.
In this episode, we get into:
Why kids approach creativity so differently from adults (and what we can learn from them).
How to stop overthinking and get back into the actual FUN of writing.
Why experimenting with stories that go nowhere is NOT a waste of time.
How Zanni sometimes writes fast enough to outrun her own self-doubt.
Why you don't have to listen to every piece of feedback you receive.
How to start trusting your own creative instincts again.
We also talk about Zanni's approach to nurturing creativity, which involves a gardening metaphor that I absolutely love, and she shares a pretty wild story about what happened when she finally stopped worrying so much about getting published.
Find Zanni:
Website: https://www.zannilouise.com/ (https://www.zannilouise.com/)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zannilouise/ (https://www.instagram.com/zannilouise/)
Zanni also shares details about her upcoming creative retreat in a French castle (yes, an actual CASTLE), where writers and illustrators will spend a week exploring their creativity together.
Check out Zanni's retreat here: https://tinyurl.com/mv9v98px (https://tinyurl.com/mv9v98px)
12 Oct 2026
The 7 Unpublished Novels That Led to Her Debut
What if the books you never publish are just as important as the one that finally gets you a book deal?
Rebecca Taylor McKay spent ten years writing, experimenting with different genres, and honing her craft before landing a literary agent and a publishing deal for her debut psychological thriller, The Honeymoon Suite.
The Honeymoon Suite was her eighth full-length novel.
In this episode of No Mess, No Magic, Rebecca and I chat about what those ten years actually looked like—from writing books that never saw the light of day to questioning whether publication would ever happen.
We also talk about how Rebecca navigated writing while raising two young children, managing a chronic illness, and juggling work, all without forcing herself into the idea that "real writers" have to write every single day.
In this episode, we explore:
Why writing seven books that never got published wasn't a waste of time
How experimenting with different genres helped Rebecca find her voice
What kept her going when she started questioning whether she'd ever get published
Why you don't need to write every day to be a "real" writer
How to keep making progress on your writing when life gets in the way
Why sometimes the best thing you can do for a manuscript is put it away (and maybe come back to it later!)
About Rebecca:
Rebecca Taylor McKay lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and two teenage children. Her debut novel, The Honeymoon Suite came out this year and was longlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries Prize and shortlisted for the Northern Writers Sid Chaplin Award.
Website: https://www.rebeccataylormckay.com/ (https://www.rebeccataylormckay.com/)
And check out her debut novel, The Honeymoon Suite, a historical psychological thriller set on the Amalfi Coast in the 1960s! Find her book here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/rebecca-taylor-mckay-2/the-honeymoon-suite/9781408750018/ (https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/rebecca-taylor-mckay-2/the-honeymoon-suite/9781408750018/)
5 Oct 2026
The Truth About Querying in 2026 with Literary Agent Linda Camacho
Querying has never exactly been fun… but in 2026, it can feel especially not fun.
Response times are longer, agents are overwhelmed. Publishing is changing. And once you hit send on that query, it can feel like you’re left alone.
So for this episode, I invited senior literary agent Linda Camacho onto the podcast to give us an honest look at what querying actually looks like from the other side of the inbox.
We talk about:
What actually happens when an agent opens your query (and how quickly they may make that first decision)
Why your query needs to sell your book, not just summarize it
What’s changed in publishing and querying over the last few years
Why things are moving more slowly—and why silence doesn’t necessarily tell you what you think it does
What writers can actually control during the querying process
How to stay grounded when so much of publishing is completely outside your control
Why learning the business side of publishing matters if traditional publishing is your goal
And then we talk about something Linda and I have been quietly creating behind the scenes: The Query Lab.
The Query Lab is a three-month, application-only beta program for fiction writers who are ready (or very close to ready) to query and want expert support while they’re actually in the query trenches.
Learn more here: https://querylab.monicahaycoaching.com/ (https://querylab.monicahaycoaching.com/)
Instead of getting your query critiqued once and then being sent off to figure everything else out yourself, you’ll have three months of support from both Linda and me—including feedback on your submission package, monthly strategy calls with Linda, coaching with me, weekly office hours, and help navigating the inevitable wait, what the hell do I do now? moments that come with querying.
This isn’t a promise that you’ll get an agent. Linda won’t be introducing you to agents, and participants cannot query Linda. What we can offer is a place to bring your questions, get feedback from someone who actually works inside the publishing industry, adjust your strategy when needed, and have support through a process that can otherwise feel incredibly lonely.
We’re keeping this beta intentionally tiny: just 5–7 writers.
If your fiction manuscript is polished (or very close), you’re preparing to query the North American market, and you want support navigating the process instead of trying to decipher Reddit threads at 1 a.m., apply for The Query Lab.
Applications are open now and close October 12. We start October 26.
Learn more here: https://querylab.monicahaycoaching.com/ (https://querylab.monicahaycoaching.com/)
Go straight to the application here: https://forms.gle/SVnn2UD8kM46jjjW6 (https://forms.gle/SVnn2UD8kM46jjjW6)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.7 / 5
7 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
Contact No Mess, No Magic
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
