Acclaimed debut novelist, Jo Segura, spoke with me about her love of the romance writing community, why natural history and archaeology are her jam, and her debut romcom RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART.
Jo Segura’s debut, Raiders of the Lost Heart, is described as an adventure romance about “Rival archaeologists [who] must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, [that] could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins.
Entertainment Weekly called it, “Romancing the Stone meets Indiana Jones in this thrilling adventure romance.” And Publishers Weekly said of the book, “Segura’s rip-roaring debut is sure to put her on the map."
The book was named a LibraryReads Pick and Indie Next pick for December, Entertainment Weekly’s 41 New Fall Books We're Most Excited To Read, and Book Riot’s 8 Of The Best Romance Books With Action.
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
 In this file Jo Segura and I discussed:
Why she dedicated a whole year to getting published
How she turned to escapist fare during the Pandemic
Writing her debut novel for NaNoWriMo
The reason she named her main character after her great-aunt
Why writers have to find their people 
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
Josegura.com
Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura [Amazon]
Jo Segura on Twitter
Jo Segura on Instagram
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Acclaimed Debut Novelist Jo Segura Writes

“Learn how acclaimed writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block.”
Each week, host Kelton Reid chats with guests like Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, on life after becoming a laureate; #1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry on her past life as a YA mid-lister; Celebrated author, Walter Mosley, on his conflicted feelings after winning a National Book Award; NY Times bestselling author, Lisa Scottoline, on what she learned from literary lion Philip Roth; #1 NY Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane on what he borrowed from Clint Eastwood; and bestselling author, Matt Haig, on the process behind his novel, The Midnight Library, and serial guest hosts: neuroscientist Michael Grybko, journalist Adam Skolnick, and short story writer Robert Bruce.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Books

How To

Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author April Henry, spoke with me about winning the Edgar Award, killing people on paper, and researching her latest cat-and-mouse survival story, STAY DEAD.
April Henry is the acclaimed bestseller of mysteries for adults and over 15 novels for teens, including the bestselling Girl, Stolen; Girl Forgotten; The Girl I Used to Be (Edgar nominated and winner of the Anthony Award for Best YA Mystery), and most recently winner of the 2024 Edgar Award in the Best Young Adult category for her novel, GIRL FORGOTTEN (2023).
Her latest novel, Stay Dead (May 28, 2024), is described as “... a thrilling murder mystery featuring a teen with an assassin on her trail fighting to uncover the truth behind a government cover-up.”
New York Times bestselling author Ellie Marney called it a “Pacy survival tale, eco-thriller, and murder mystery all rolled into one."
AND DON’T FORGET YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH US ON THE WRITER FILES COMMUNITY AT PATREON.COM/THEWRITERFILES
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file April Henry and I discussed:
A crazy thing that happened to her after she won the Edgar
The postcard she got from Roald Dahl that started it all
How she made the transition to full-time writer
Why she trained with real FBI agents
Her love of the treadmill desk
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
aprilhenry.com
Stay Dead by April Henry (Amazon)
April Henry Amazon Author Page
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How NY Times Bestselling Author April Henry Writes

Bestselling author, podcaster, blogger, speaker, and my friend Jeff Goins, brought me along on a creative journey not too long ago called Hey, Creator! and it was some of the most fun I’ve had as a podcast producer.
Here’s an episode from the last season we did together titled “How to Finish the First Draft of Anything.”
Jeff Goins helps creative people succeed. Through his bestselling books, courses, coaching, and speeches, he shares his ongoing journey of transformation, inspiring creators to discover their voice and share it with the world.
He is also the founder of Fresh Complaint, a bespoke creative agency that helps authors, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs turn their stories and ideas into books that change the way people think.
AND DON’T FORGET YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH US ON THE WRITER FILES COMMUNITY AT PATREON.COM/THEWRITERFILES
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Jeff Goins and I discussed:
Why the first step to finishing is to begin
The secret to getting unstuck
Why nothing is ever really finished
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
goinswriter.com
freshcomplaint.com
Hey, Creator! Podcast
Jeff Goins Amazon Author Page
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Finish the First Draft of Anything with Jeff Goins

#1 New York Times bestselling author, Mark Sullivan, spoke to me about the story that saved his life, how to write history’s darkest chapters, and his latest novel based on a true story, All the Glimmering Stars.
Mark Sullivan is a journalist and award-winning, bestselling author of 20 novels including Beneath a Scarlet Sky, The Last Green Valley, and the #1 New York Times bestselling Private series, which he writes with James Patterson.
His latest historical novel, All the Glimmering Stars (May 7, 2024), is “Inspired by a true story [of] two teens kidnapped by an African warlord [that] find salvation through love in a powerful [story] … set in 1990s Uganda.”
New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz, said of the book, “Mark Sullivan’s All the Glimmering Stars is the pinnacle of an already distinguished career. A searing piece of historical fiction steeped in a yearslong deep dive into the horrors of child soldiering, it is at its core something tender and rare: a love story between two profoundly good people striving for light in unimaginable darkness.”
Mark Sullivan graduated with a BA in English before working as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in West Africa. Upon his return to the US, he earned a graduate degree in Journalism at Northwestern University.
AND DON’T FORGET YOU CAN HANG OUT WITH US ON THE WRITER FILES COMMUNITY AT PATREON.COM/THEWRITERFILES
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Mark Sullivan and I discussed:
His former life as an award-winning investigative journalist
How his cross-cultural skills inform his work today
Why he decided to make the transition from suspense to historical fiction
Searching for the deeper meaning behind his storytelling
The four things he has to have before he can write a story
His intensive research process
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
marksullivanbooks.com
All the Glimmering Stars: A Novel by Mark Sullivan (Amazon)
Mark Sullivan Amazon Author Page
Mark Sullivan on Facebook
Mark Sullivan on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Mark Sullivan Writes

#1 New York Times bestselling author and TV producer, Tom Straw, spoke to me about breaking into television, the Gordian knot of ghostwriting, and his new “culinary, espionage, travel thriller” THE ACCIDENTAL JOE.
Tom Straw is an Emmy and Writers Guild of America–nominated writer-producer, New York Times bestselling author, and former Mystery Writers of America board member.
Writing as Richard Castle, Tom originated the hit Nikki Heat series, writing its first seven novels, all New York Times bestsellers, including Heat Rises, which reached number one.
The first book in his latest series is The Accidental Joe: The Top-Secret Life of a Celebrity Chef (Regalo Press/May 14, 2024), described as the story of “...a maverick celebrity chef [who] reluctantly agrees to let the CIA use his hugely popular international food, culture, and travel TV series as cover for a dangerous espionage mission.”
Bestselling author Walter Mosley said of the book, “Tom Straw's Sebastian Pike is a wonderful addition to the annals of amateur sleuths of the crime/spy genre.” Culinary personality Alton Brown said of the author, “Tom Straw has set the bar for culinary, espionage, travel thrillers. Actually, I think he invented the bar. And it’s a bar I’d meet him at any time.”
Tom  Straw’s television career has included WGA and Emmy nominations for writing and executive producer stints for shows including Night Court, CBS’s Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Nurse Jackie with Edie Falco.
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Tom Straw and I discussed:
His early life as an AM radio personality and professional weatherman
How he got a shot to write on his first TV show
Working with Craig Ferguson and his robot skeleton sidekick 
The short version of hitting #1 as a ghostwriter for a fictitious mystery author 
How he invented the snarky, bad-boy, maverick chef for his latest novel
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
tomstraw.com
Tom Straw on IMDb
The Accidental Joe: The Top-Secret Life of a Celebrity Chef By Tom Straw (Amazon)
Tom Straw on Facebook
Tom Straw on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Tom Straw Writes

Emmy-winning TV journalist and CNN Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir, spoke to me about finding his beat, seeking “hope in a changing world,” and his debut, Life as We Know It (Can Be).
Bill Weir is a veteran anchor, writer, producer, and host who joined CNN in 2013 after a decade of award-winning journalism at ABC News. After writing and hosting four seasons of the primetime CNN Original Series “The Wonder List with Bill Weir,” he was named the first Chief Climate Correspondent in network news in 2019.
His debut book is Life as We Know It (Can Be): Stories of People, Climate, and Hope in a Changing World, described as a “... positive and unabashed approach to exploring the science, politics, and human behavior that must be addressed to solve our most pressing problems.”
New York Times bestselling author and CNN anchor Jake Tapper said of the book, “Bill Weir provides insightful, alarming, but ultimately hopeful coverage of the climate crisis. His new book is a gorgeous love letter to his son but also to Earth and humanity,” and New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Safran Foer called it, “... a clear-eyed, heartfelt argument against despair.”
[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]
[If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]
In this file Bill Weir and I discussed:
How he incorporates the math and physics of storytelling into his journalism
The “crappy elf” method of writing and penning letters to his kids in the future
Why connection is more important than ever in the “golden age of distraction”
The difference between writing for the screen and the page
When he decided to focus on the dreamers and the doers
And a lot more!
Show Notes:
Bill Weir CNN Chief Climate Correspondent
Life as We Know It (Can Be): Stories of People, Climate, and Hope in a Changing World by Bill Weir (Amazon)
Bill Weir on Facebook
Bill Weir on Instagram
Bill Weir on Twitter
Kelton Reid on Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Acclaimed Debut Novelist Jo Segura Writes

Download our free app to listen on your phone