<p>In our latest episode of the “CC&amp;JT Amateur Hour,” we welcome VL “Tori” Stuart, a retired psychologist and author living in Costa Rica. Tori shares her journey from psychology to writing, her experiences as an expat, and her insights into the dystopian genre.</p><p>Tori&#39;s writing journey began organically, and we mean that in the literal sense. She noticed the absence of a gardening column in a local expat newspaper, so she approached the editor and began writing. This initial foray into writing not only earned her fan mail but also sparked her passion for storytelling. Her first serious writing experience opened the door to novel writing, leading to her latest work, &quot;Zade,&quot; her first dystopian novel.</p><p>Our conversation explores the themes of hope in dystopian fiction, the challenges of marketing books, and the impact of personal experiences on writing. Tori emphasizes the importance of standing against evil and the struggles of crafting a compelling blurb for her upcoming novel. The episode concludes with Tori&#39;s reflections on her past and where listeners can find her work.</p><p>You can find VL Stuart on her website at <a href="https://authorvlstuart.com/">https://authorvlstuart.com/</a></p><p>Tori is on Facebook where she is the group admin for  “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/212305063844117/">Marketing for Indies</a>.&quot;</p><p>+++</p><p>Cassidy Carson and JT Hume (“CC &amp; JT”) are independent writers, publishers, and co-owners of <a href="https://twomoorebooks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Two Moore Books, LLC</a> out of Carson City, Nevada, USA. Our human-authored <a href="https://carsonhume.com/books-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">book catalog</a> can be found on our <a href="https://carsonhume.square.site/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bookstore</a> and the major platforms. Our podcast, “The CC and JT Amateur Hour,” has recorded hundreds of episodes, and our mission is to “<strong>help writers write</strong>.”</p><p>Two of our books were “Finalists” in the <a href="https://www.independentauthornetwork.com/2025-botya-winners.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2025 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards</a>. We received the <a href="https://carsonhume.com/2024/10/20/big-news/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2024 Women in Podcasting Award</a> in the “Best Authors and Books Podcast” category from the Women Podcasters Network. We support the <a href="https://twomoorebooks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nevada Author Network</a> with the <a href="https://sierraarts.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sierra Arts Foundation</a> out of Reno, Nevada.</p><p><strong>New and current newsletter subscribers can receive a free epub or PDF of “</strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Salvation-Part-One-Hume-ebook/dp/B0DS1JVT4M/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3OPADZZBY4P84&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.frUOCxr6JedG1Gvk_wmWwQgwQ6-8QwS3FHrwuQbacQ3HUysnVSCyScBtKTl22Jy2puljEO6P3VSmAiZVWufdt2svlg2C7s8FwusVwOGwCYqKcJoBzbcalo5YWQZ7iSR0GtvGyuFtyNwKKDu-WgKPuZgj4RX8gpRgDHNX8k_sXKbcufZ-Vwi9oZtGvqVNKYk340xAUz4pcotwio1SZrtOwRVLEvKQab5L217sqaIyTQ0.4EnUPIPaOmzdAz0V31j6Gu0uvb4fneqbxnT8TTX3eHI&dib_tag=se&keywords=jt+hume&qid=1768154876&s=digital-text&sprefix=jt+hume%2Cdigital-text%2C200&sr=1-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Finding Salvation Part One</a><strong>” by subscribing to our newsletter! Reach out to us via our </strong><a href="https://carsonhume.com/contact/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Contact Page</a><strong> for more information.</strong> <strong>You can also read </strong><a href="https://carsonhume.com/2026/01/16/get-some-libby/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">our books for free</a><strong> through your local library</strong>.</p><p>Our Website: ⁠<a href="http://www.carsonhume.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.carsonhume.com⁠</a><br>Who We are: ⁠<a href="https://carsonhume.com/about/%E2%81%A0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://carsonhume.com/about/⁠</a><br>Our Books: ⁠<a href="https://carsonhume.com/books-2/%E2%81%A0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://carsonhume.com/books-2/⁠</a><br>Our bookstore: <a href="https://carsonhume.square.site/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://carsonhume.square.site/</a><br>Our Business: ⁠<a href="https://twomoorebooks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twomoorebooks.com/⁠</a></p><p>For those who listen on their way to work, we are on these fine podcast platforms: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2pRKXa6FrfcnQ4WjCHt8yk">⁠Spotify⁠</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-hearts-and-one-braincell-cassidy-carson-jt-hume/id1559895891">⁠Apple⁠</a>, <a href="https://pca.st/dg1lxyeg">⁠Pocket Casts⁠</a>, and <a href="https://radiopublic.com/two-hearts-and-one-braincell-cass-GAQAoK">⁠Radio Public⁠</a>.</p><p><em>Note: Two Moore Books, LLC does not receive financial compensation for promoting third-party businesses and websites. 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