Gail returns to Author in the Headlights to talk about Neither Life Nor Death, the third installment in her award-winning Drew Davies Railway Mystery Series.

Set in post-war Mumbles, Wales, the series combines Gail’s love of history with something much more personal: she grew up in a railroad family. Her father was a railroad engineer, her uncles were brakemen and conductors, and her mother and aunts worked in the railroad office.

Gail and Strider talk about turning real places into fiction, researching in Wales, building characters across a series, and discovering that there may be no single “right” way to write a book.

Grab a cup of coffee and join us for another conversation about books, writers, and the stories behind the stories.

Neither Life Nor Death was released August 30 and is a historical cozy mystery with romance, set in Mumbles, Wales.

Author in the Headlights — Books • Writers • Real Conversations

Route 66 turns 100, and children's author Beth Bacon is celebrating by introducing America's most famous highway to a new generation.

Beth returns to Author in the Headlights to talk with Strider S.R. Klusman about her new book, Route 66: Faces and Places Along America’s Most Famous Road.

How do you take a century of history spread across eight states and decide which people, places, attractions, and stories belong in a children's book?

Beth talks about the research behind the book, some of the surprises she discovered along the Mother Road, and how she designed the book to appeal to young and reluctant readers.

We also explore the writer's side of the project: Route 66 already has travelers, museums, roadside attractions, gift shops, and families interested in its history—an unusual example of a book entering a marketplace with an audience already waiting.

Plus, Beth tells us what's coming next, including Nightingale Rising.

📚 Beth Bacon's books

Route 66: Faces and Places Along America’s Most Famous Road
https://amzn.to/4iGzsTm

I Hate Reading
https://books2read.com/u/bONlV9

The Book No One Wants to Read
https://books2read.com/u/mYxl0V

The Worst Book Ever
https://amzn.to/4fvy8Ri

Blank Space
https://amzn.to/4fbuJWq

The Panda Cub Swap
https://books2read.com/u/3n95B8

Grandmother Effect
https://books2read.com/u/m0j8zM

Coming Soon — Nightingale Rising
https://books2read.com/u/bQrX2D

#Route66 #BethBacon #ChildrensBooks #AuthorInTheHeadlights

What makes a great thriller?

For Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke, it starts with a credible threat.

Rick brings an unusual perspective to fiction. His career in the U.S. Army and Department of Defense took him from West Point to work involving Afghanistan, Kosovo, Ukraine, and high-stakes intelligence. Today, he draws on that experience as the author of the Major Jake Fortina global thriller series.

Rick joins Strider S.R. Klusman on Author in the Headlights to discuss his newest novel, The Sicilian Nexus, how real-world intelligence experience influences his fiction, and what separates a believable thriller from one that doesn't quite work.

We also talk about Rick's writing process, the Jake Fortina series, his new covers, how long it takes him to write a novel, the people he relies on during the writing process, and what comes next.

If you enjoy military thrillers, international suspense, espionage fiction, or the craft of writing suspense, meet the man who's been there—and now writes about it.

Author in the Headlights
Discover authors, books, and the stories behind the stories.

#RickSteinke #ThrillerBooks #MilitaryThriller #AuthorInterview #AuthorInTheHeadlights

Mystery and historical-fiction author Marian Exall returns to Author in the Headlights to talk about Loners, her journey from attorney to novelist, the craft behind her mysteries and historical fiction, and her newest book, Loners.

Marian shares what years of reading taught her about writing, why historical fiction demands such careful research, and the practical technique she uses when a manuscript bogs down in the “muddy middle”: write the ending first.

We also meet Loners detective Christine McQuarry and hear about Marian's work on the next book in the series.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner joins Author in the Headlights to talk suspense, storytelling, and her newest novel, You’ll Be Sorry.

Lisa takes us inside her writing process—how she develops her thrillers, builds suspense, handles the demands of publishing, and continues finding new stories after a remarkable career.

We also talk about her bestselling series, the evolution of her writing, and what’s coming next.

Whether you're a longtime Lisa Gardner fan, a thriller reader looking for your next book, or a writer fascinated by how bestselling suspense is created, come join the conversation.

📚 Discover Lisa Gardner's books and other featured authors:
Author in the Headlights Bookstore

🎙️ More Author in the Headlights:
Author in the Headlights

What can human writers do that AI can't?

Steven Puri returns to Author in the Headlights to explore AI, large language models (LLMs), creativity, and the flow state.

Steven and Strider discuss how AI learns from patterns in what humans have already created—and why the writer's ability to break those patterns may be where genuinely new ideas begin.

They also explore Strider's own experience of entering flow while writing, when an outline can suddenly turn into prose and the story begins heading somewhere the author never planned.

Can AI replace writers—or can it become a tool that helps human creators do their best work?

Contact Steven Puri:
https://www.thesukha.co/writers

Steven's previous episode — Flow State for Creators:
https://youtu.be/7IDGXgJe4Ac

More Author in the Headlights:
https://www.duramenpublishing.com/author-in-the-headlights-new

#AIForWriters #StevenPuri #CreativeWriting #FlowState #AuthorInTheHeadlights

Creative consultant. Entertainment producer., now Science-fiction novelist.

Strider sits down with Elliot Blake to discuss his transition from the entertainment industry into fiction, with the creation of his new space fiction, Into the Great.

From creative consulting and entertainment production to publishing his debut novel, Elliot shares insights into building believable science-fiction worlds, making the leap to writing,. He also gives tips on the how-to for new authors.

Can creativity become effortless?

Steven Puri joins Strider S.R. Klusman to explore Flow State, creativity, focus, and the science behind doing your best work. A conversation for writers, entrepreneurs, artists, and anyone who wants to unlock their creative potential.

Award-winning author and entertainment executive Debbie Bishop joins Strider Klusman to discuss Pillywiggin Awakening: The Complete Story Arc, a fantasy adventure twenty-five years in the making.

The conversation explores world-building, comics, Hollywood storytelling, writing for fantasy readers, and the creative lessons Debbie learned while working with major studios before becoming a full-time author and creative strategist.

David Beaumier joins Author in the Headlights to discuss The Mourning Fields,: https://books2read.com/u/3JQBGJ, a contemporary fantasy inspired by Greek mythology.

We also discuss upcoming writers conferences and how they help authors grow their careers.