The Indie
The Indie

J Hirtle The Last Storyteller

Jim Hirtle talks with indie author Stephanie Nietzsche about her novel *The Indie*, her path into writing and the realities of self-publishing. The conversation centres on character creation, lack of support from loved ones and the practical challenges indie authors face in getting their stories out.

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40:20•5 Aug 2026

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Indie Hearts and Hard Truths: Stephanie Nietzsche on Writing ‘The Indie’

Episode Overview

Imagination can grow from solitude and play, turning childhood TV and dolls into training for storytelling.
Many indie authors struggle with lack of support from friends and family, and may need to seek encouragement from fellow writers instead.
Relatable characters start with the writer feeling their emotions first, before expecting readers to connect.
Handling every part of indie publishing alone—from covers to editing and formatting—is possible but demanding and often costly.
Talking about characters rather than whole plots can make it easier to pitch a book and connect with readers.

“Once the story and the characters start just flowing and the characters are telling you, you're just the vessel and you're just writing it.”

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? Here, the focus shifts to creativity and resilience as indie author Stephanie Nietzsche sits down with host Jim Hirtle to talk about her writing life and her novel *The Indie*. You’ll hear how a childhood as an only child in a remote area, armed with a TV and a collection of dolls, quietly laid the groundwork for storytelling.

Stephanie explains how TV taught her pacing, while dolls became early "actors" in improvised scenes. It’s a charming reminder that imagination often grows in solitude. Jim and Stephanie dig into the emotional reality of being an indie author, especially the sting of unsupportive friends and family. Alexa, the main character in *The Indie*, was written for all those writers who feel let down by the people closest to them.

Stephanie notes she drew heavily on comments she’d seen on social media about authors lacking support, rather than on her own life. Character creation is a big theme. Stephanie doesn’t start by asking how to make readers feel something; instead, she checks whether **she** feels the character first.

As she puts it, “once the story and the characters start just flowing and the characters are telling you, you're just the vessel and you're just writing it." Jim compares that stage to raising children who eventually pull away and follow their own path.

They also talk about the tough side of indie publishing: designing covers, editing and formatting alone, wrestling with blurbs that are “harder than the book itself”, and facing a market where millions of titles chase limited attention. Stephanie now writes full time, stays highly active on social media, runs her own writer talk channel, and is pushing herself to do more in-person events.

If you’ve ever felt both driven and doubted in your creative or recovery journey, this candid chat about persistence, support, and storytelling might give you a nudge to keep going. What story are you still holding back from telling?

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