Bestselling thriller author of ten novels, including The Progeny, Firstborn, The Legend of Sheba, Iscariot, and the Books of Mortals trilogy (with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker), Tosca Lee is in the house! She’s representing this genre proud with The Line Between, a dystopian page-turner already optioned for television by Edward Burns and his Marlboro Road Gang Productions, in partnership with Radar Pictures (#cantwait). As you’ll hear, the female protagonist could be the little sister of one of my favorite Dean Koontz characters (Dean’s a former guest of this show)—bad-guy killing heroine, Jane Hawk.

I’ve put the notorious night-owl Tosca together with my guest co-host today, Hayli Baez, because I adore them both. And, for the unique things they have in common—namely a past with pageantry, as in beauty, which has helped both of their current careers; an obsession with world-travel, fed in part by those pageants; and get this—late-night video-game playing! (Admission, I’ve never played a video game in my life, so I’m dying to know the allure of shooting fake people.)

You might be wondering how a busy author like Tosca has time for such an indulgence but says it helps her come up with some of her best characters and storylines. And, I’m guessing her three boys think she’s the coolest.

Speaking of cool, Hayli has THE dream job according to my son (and probably yours, too). She actually gets PAID to livestream herself playing video games on Twitch. Yes, that’s really a thing. She also happens to have written excellent fan fiction as a teen and still gives me the best book recommendations of anyone. And, she’s family. I can’t take any credit for her beauty or brains, as she’s my fiancé’s daughter, thus not blood-related. But, as soon as I learned she’d read the entire Harry Potter series more than anyone I’d ever met (or heard of!), I was deeply proud. Lol.

I’m excited to share this chat, with its many pearls, including how Tosca plots her suspense and thinks about each character’s arc within the three-act structure (and her two invaluable book recommendations on the subject). There’s her refreshing take on the thriller genre and how she recruits top experts for her research to make her work bulletproof (and how you can too!). I am also fascinated by her thoughts on how travel helps the writing mind play and wander; her description of dealing with the twin demons of fear and procrastination, and why letting someone see your writing before it’s ready is like allowing them to see your cellulite!

We talk balancing writing time with platform building (social media); how her hot farmer husband handles her 20-hour writing days (and bakes cookies); what to do when an author friend writes a book you just don’t like; and how when her friends are mad at their mates, they'll ask her help in devising the perfect murder plot. If you love action, conspiracy, romance, and questions of whom—and what—to believe, you’re going to adore this high-octane story of survival and love in a world on the brink of madness (and its sequel, out in September). And, you’ll be taken with the sanity and sweetness of this killer author and her deep gratitude for her craft and her readers. I left this conversation more in love with books and writing them and know it will likewise inspire your reading and writing life. Welcome.

75 million albums sold. 18 top ten hits recorded. Named in 2018 by Billboard as one of the top 60 female artists of all time (#35)! I’m guessing you are or have been, a Taylor Dayne fan (soundtrack of your life stuff, right here).

I feel blessed to call Taylor a dear friend and can attest that she’s everything you’d hope a superstar to be—which you’ll soon experience as she opens up her heart and memories about the coolest details. Like what it was really like to open for Michael Jackson in a stadium of 60,000 people for his RAD tour. Or, what happened when Prince brought her on stage early in her career in a scene that will have you thinking, “Wait! Didn’t I just see Bradley Cooper do that with Lady Gaga in A Star is Born?!”

Taylor’s memoir, Tell It To My Heart (named after one of her most popular ballads) pubs on Valentine’s Day and goes deep and vulnerable about topics you’d never guess by watching her career, starting with her tragic childhood in which her voice gave her the fire and inspiration to stay alive.

Popular podcaster/TED producer/ media communications coach, Bronwyn Saglimbeni, is today’s guest co-host. I love this woman! She, like Taylor, is also a busy mom and business owner who happens to have a rockin’ rock band side hustle. Can you stand it? I’m such a singing wanna-be!

Thank you for joining me for this magical conversation, punctuated by snippets of several of Taylor’s biggest hits. We’re going to talk about so much, not the least of which includes healing, the music industry, what it’s like to write brutal truths about family members who are still standing, why standing on that TED or TEDWomen stage is as scary (or scarier!) than singing in a stadium, and learning to trust yourself—a challenge for us all.

There’s no holding back here, and a whole heap of heart.

We're so glad you’re here.

Linda xo

Jack Reacher’s back at #1! But that’s no surprise to the millions of “Reacher’s Creatures” who anxiously await each installment of this thriller series—23 at present count. With PAST TENSE (Delacorte Press), author Lee Child once again puts us on the edge of our seats and leaves us there, ensuring that our journey with this ex-military policeman turned drifter continues to live up to the Forbes magazine label as the "strongest brand in publishing.”

It’s not every day I get to talk shop with a writer who’s sold over 100 million books. But what makes today’s interview especially THRILLING for me was getting to share the mic with my guest co-host, Tom Bergeron. Lucky for me, Tom’s day job with Dancing with the Stars just wrapped for the year and he had time. Time to brainstorm his dream literary guest with me and then make the intro. #BestJobEver. The result is one of my favorite conversations to date, and I hope yours too!

Lee and Tom have cult followings the world over, but for very different personas. Lee and Jack Reacher (don’t even think of making me separate the two here) are formidable—towering, intimidating figures. Tom, on the other hand, is adored for his light, comedic personality and jokes that at least he’s taller than Tom Cruise (the star of several Reacher films). Of course, as you’ll see, Child is a blast to interview and Bergeron has a dark side (as is revealed via his recent turn to dramatic acting).

But what most interested me here was talking with two icons at the top of their game. Few authors have the kind of rock-star financial or creative freedom Lee has created for himself. And, having formerly hosted both America’s Funniest Home Videos and Hollywood Squares (for which he won an Emmy), Tom has been part of three of the most popular TV shows of all time. For a girl who’s lived many years of her life within eyeshot of the Hollywood sign, that holds all kinds of gifts for me.

Speaking of gifts! HAPPIEST and MERRIEST of holidays to you and yours, you guys. I can’t believe another year has flown by. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my time than here, with you, on this show. Thank you for listening. I feel so blessed. Until the New Year … Write On!

Linda xx

After 18 international bestsellers, Seth Godin has released perhaps his most important book. His new title: This Is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn To See (Portfolio) just hit #1 on The Wall Street Journal list and was an immediate New York Times bestseller. But Seth could care less. What this master teacher knows (and wants us to know) is the joy of serving the smallest viable audience. The satisfaction that comes from making things better by making better things.

"The best-selling book in America this year will not be purchased by 99% of the population,” Seth tells me and my guest co-host Samantha Bennett. But that’s good news for us writers because “smallest is easy for us.” It’s this mindset, as you’ll hear, that keeps the infinite resource of creativity from shrinking away.

Seth and Sam (bestselling author of Get It Done and Start Right Where You Are) are big admirers of each other’s work, and nothing thrills me more than being a literary matchmaker by putting people together on this show. Like when Glennon Doyle came on to guest co-host with her idol, Anne Lamott (who she’d never met). Or, how Terry McMillan and Dani Shapiro, both great novelists and teachers, swapped outrageous stories and laughs. Or the time Robert McKee guest co-hosted with one of his literary favorites, Dean Koontz. To hear Sam and Seth talk shop left me mostly speechless. (Not my norm, as you may know. I think I said fewer words in this entire episode than in my usual intros!) I feel so blessed to be here.

Seth has taught and inspired millions of entrepreneurs, marketers, leaders, readers (and me!) via his daily blog (one of the most popular in the world), and through his online courses, lectures, and bestselling books. He’s the inventor of countless ideas that have made their way into mainstream business lingo (from the book blurb! and Permission Marketing to Purple Cow, Tribes, and The Dip).

But marketing—telling our stories to people who need them—is in crisis. For thirty years Seth has seen this revolution coming, describing it to us, and mapping it out for us. And it's being taken away by bottom fishers and scammers. Thankfully we have Seth to guide us through meaningfully connecting with people who want what we’ve got. You’re also about to hear why he stopped napping (this is pure gold!); his thoughts on debt (which could help you keep more of your gold); what it takes to reach the masses (and how to avoid making average stuff for average people); getting into the practice of picking yourself; Godin’s First Law of Book Signings, and, brace yourself, the future of bookstores.

And, for those of you who don’t yet know Sam, you’re in for a major treat. Warning, though: She’s addictive, and you’ll have one more person to follow after this episode. Sam’s the owner of the Organized Artist Company and one of the most brilliant and delightful people I’ve ever known (which is why I'm the luckiest that she’s my copilot over in the Beautiful Writers Group). Okay! There’s so much to cover. I’m so happy you’re here.

Linda xx

This award-winning, bestselling American (and Nashvillian!) treasure is laying it down with straight talk about her charmed writing and publishing career. Instead of learning from our authors' struggles, as we often do on this show, today’s episode is about ABUNDANCE. Ann’s story is a unique one—published at twenty in The Paris Review, followed by one extraordinary success after another—where we get a rare glimpse of the writer’s dream life come true. "I didn't get into any trouble,” Ann tells us. "I didn't stray from the path. I didn't become a drug addict. I didn't become an alcoholic. There was just too much positive reinforcement for writing.”

But that hasn’t kept her from acquiring a deep understanding of the human condition—and a fearless writing style for which she’s beloved. Bestsellers like Bel Canto, based on the Japanese hostage crisis (which won the Orange Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and was recently made into a film), Truth and Beauty (a tender, brutal book about loving a person she could not save), and Commonwealth (a novel that begins with an illicit kiss that leads to an affair that destroys two marriages and follows six children whose lives were disrupted) are just a few examples of how Ann isn’t afraid to dive deep into life’s complexities.

In this 90-minute chat (edited down from over two hours!), I was pinching myself to get to talk with this icon as if we were old friends. From books to film (and opera!); landing the right agent; getting PAID for your work; how not to suck at love or marriage as you try and balance a near-obsessive love of craft, and stories behind her new photographic book on Nashville, I hated to see this conversation end.

And, bonus! Ann shares where her best ideas come from (which wasn’t what I expected)—including her take on the story of how she and Liz Gilbert shared a novel through the ethers. I couldn’t take notes fast enough.

Welcome! xo
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There is an enemy. You are the enemy. Resistance will kill you. If you’re a Steven Pressfield or "The War of Art" fan (who isn’t?!), you already know that. You also know that you are not alone, and resistance can be beaten. But, good God, doesn’t it feel a little harder these days with the world seemingly going off the rails? I wasn’t sure Steven could ever write something as masterful as The War of Art. Despite selling millions of copies of books in both fiction and non-fiction—that book was tops in my eyes. But he’s done it again, with "The Artist’s Journey: The Wake of the Hero’s Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning."

If you’re wrestling with trying not to fall into the time suck of 24-hour news, you’re going to love this chat.

Joining us is book marketing superstar Tim Grahl, who you may know from his past books, "Your First 1,000 Copies," and "Book Launch Blueprint." But today he’s here with Steve for "Running Down a Dream: Your Roadmap to Winning Creative Battles." Steve’s publishing company, Black Irish Books, published the two books in tandem and I can see why. They’re both page-turners and pack an even more powerful punch when digested together.

On today’s show we talk about how we lie to ourselves about how busy we are (and how little time we actually need to get our art completed). We discuss the odd phenomenon that the writer often rejects first-book ideas, and Steve gets playfully ribbed and respectfully praised for his obsessive research habits.

Tim shares top book picks, and Steven explains why he turns away from his gorgeous Malibu ocean view to face the wall when he writes. We also cover the fundamentals of the Hero’s Journey and the subsequent Artist’s Journey, and how once you get on this train, there’s no getting off. In what Steve calls a bit of an “OCD convention,” we dive into the nitty-gritty about setting up one's office and life to avoid distractions. Tim shares how he practices being vulnerable with small pieces before he puts out something truly scary for him (like this new book), and the three of us laugh about professional jealousies and the crazy-making reality of competing with (or being held back by) your friends and family.

Listen up, too, for fave tech hacks, book launch tips, schedule simplifying strategies, and this most important message: YOU have important work to do on this planet. So, let’s go! I’m so glad you’re here.

Welcome. xo
PS: Subscribe here so you'll be the first to know when a new episode airs. (And, for more info, go to www.BeautifulWritersPodcast.com)

PPS: If you love the show and want to help spread the word, please take a sec to give us your thoughts and/or a 5-star rating on iTunes. apple.co/2sbpC1J

On this annual birthday episode of the Beautiful Writers Podcast, my wish is to give the gift of conversations you haven’t heard before. Fresh and (hopefully) profoundly helpful content to uplevel your writing experience. Today’s show makes my heart happy. It’s a collection of excerpts from industry superstars conducted over several years for the Beautiful Writers Group (my membership community, where this podcast was born and writers get all sorts of support for $25 a month).

I’m elated to finally share some of my most cherished snippets of advice from our expert series interviews, today, free of charge. We start this birthday party off with the author of "Get It Done" and "Start Right Where You Are," Samantha Bennett (who now joins me every month to answer questions in our monthly Q & A calls). Sam is a creative genius with an enviable bedside manner. Meaning, she gives our members soulful, tear-jerking, butt-kicking advice they can’t get enough of. I have no doubt she will get you motivated and EXCITED about what you can and will achieve—in as little as 15 minutes a day.

Next, Harrison Scott Key—winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor for his memoir "The World's Largest Man"—will make you laugh (and blush) with his insane stories. Nothing and no one in his life is off-limits. Harrison's nearly unbelievable work ethic will either scare the hell out of you or renew your faith in scaling any publishing mountain. Warning: get earplugs for the kids! (Smiley.)

The bestselling author of "Paris Letters" and "A Paris Year," Janice MacLeod, helps us say YES to our writing life over everything that doesn’t matter. She shares how she scripted every writer’s dream life by ditching the day job to travel the world—in do-able steps. Plus, I can almost guarantee you’ve never heard what she learned about the power bookstores have over your book covers. (Say, what?!)

Arielle Ford, author of ten books (including her international bestseller "The Soulmate Secret") has the unique mindset of having been a literary agent and top book publicist (with 12, #1 NYT bestselling placements). Though grounded and practical, Arielle bleeds mystical. For this show, she shares her Secret Sauce for connecting with the Unified Field, where everything you want—in publishing and in everyday life—is already waiting for you.

Tim Grahl, book marketing rockstar, is the author of "Your First 1000 Copies" and the recent, "Running Down a Dream" and helped five of his author clients hit the NYT bestseller’s list in the same week! In this conversation, Tim talks about how to put your best foot forward on Amazon.com (where 40-65% of books are sold)—which includes details of ramping up your author page and how to get those pesky 1-star reviews removed.

Author Rhonda Britten, who has one of the most painful childhood stories imaginable, created a program to keep from taking her own life. Fearless Living has healed her and countless others and led to four books and an Emmy-winning role as a life coach for TV's "Starting Over." Rhonda is always coming up with new tricks and the one she shares here—a touching exercise for connecting deeply with your book—is one of the coolest tips I’ve ever heard.

And finally, acclaimed YA novelist, Aditi Khorana--who was my guest co-host here last month with best-selling novelist Rosie Walsh--shares how her 1,000-word a day diet helps her be so prolific. Among other things in this excerpt, we talk about how to train your beautiful muse to show up and play full out.

I wish I had time to share all of our BWG expert interviews with you here! But you can get immediate access to our full library (and other benefits of membership)at beautifulwritersgroup.com Welcome. I'm so happy you're here! xo

Auctions. Bidding wars. Squealing agents and champagne toasts. To some, this is the stuff writerly dreams are made of. Novelist Rosie Walsh is here from her home in Britain to humbly share details of her magic carpet ride as the author of one of the most anticipated global publications this year. GHOSTED, Rosie’s debut book in America, celebrated its birthday the day we taped this episode. Pub day in the states! For a book that has sold in thirty-one countries and topped several bestseller lists already, I feel like the luckiest girl at the dance here to have had so much time—over an hour!—with this very busy new mother and author.

I had to ask Rosie the age-old question: what makes a page-turner? How do you write a story people, and that includes publishers, can’t put down? Because, cover to cover, I was swept away by this book. As an example, check out this marketing hook right on the back: "Seven perfect days. Then he disappeared. A love story with a secret at its heart.” Aren’t you dying to know the secret? I was, and I’ll tell you this: I never saw it coming.

Nor did my dear friend and one of my favorite writers, Aditi Khorana, our guest co-host for this episode.

Aditi and Rosie are both critically acclaimed Penguin novelists, and I think you’ll love hearing them compare notes on how to outline their books and craft their exciting plot lines. Their publishing wins will inspire you and their stories on editing and ditching hard-won prose are a dose of realism. In fact, Rosie’s honesty—about what she was willing to do, make that what she had to do to get her words worthy of the heights they’re currently hitting—is astonishing. (Hint, you don’t get published by legendary editor Pamela Dorman through her own Viking/Penguin imprint—with past titles like Bridget Jones's Diary, The Secret Life of Bees, Queen Sugar, Me Before You, etc. in her line up—unless your storytelling is world-class.)

And, yes, in this chat you’ll also here three girls talking about boys. And love. And longing. And the odd yet universal phenomenon of being ghosted. I'm so glad you're here.

Linda xo

P.S. Subscribe here so you'll be the first to know when a new episode airs. (For more info, go to www.BeautifulWritersPodcast.com)

P.S.S. If you love the show, please take a sec to give us a 5-star rating on iTunes, which helps spread the word! apple.co/2sbpC1J

Memoirist and racial justice leader, Austin Channing Brown, is here to chat about her celebrated debut: I’M STILL HERE: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. From the book’s first line—“White people can be exhausting,” she had my undivided attention as I—like countless white women—am exasperated by white privilege and feel a great urgency to cease being exhausting. But where do we start? There is so much to learn!

Thankfully, Austin is wise and patient, huge-hearted, and playful. As she masterfully lays out what we need to know, we can’t help but hang on her every written word. Because it’s time. Time to know better. Be better. Do better. My prediction is that upon hearing Austin read an excerpt from her chapter, “Why I love being a black girl” you'll instantly understand why Brené Brown, Glennon Doyle, and Jen Hatmaker are fans. By the close, when she shares part of a letter she wrote to her then unborn son, you will be too.

Our guest co-host on this episode, Daniel Mallory Ortberg, is a dear friend of Austin’s and their easy laughter is contagious. Daniel is the author of the New York Times bestseller TEXTS FROM JANE EYRE: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters, and the recent, THE MERRY SPINSTER: Tales of Everyday Horror—a collection of short stories based on fairy tales. He is also the Slate advice columnist, Dear Prudence, syndicated in over 200 newspapers. But you’d never know any of that by his humble nature and hilarious newbie stories.

Listen in as we delight in talking shop together. Other topics include: life-changing tech programs we use to organize our writing; favorite writing books on craft that have been career game changers; details of landing agents and book deals; how we've utilized groups and beta readers for up-leveling our work pre-publication; persevering through early rejections, and how sometimes life indeed conspires to make your dreams come true.

Welcome.

A veteran comedy writer for TV, film, and books, Nell Scovell (who also produces and directs!), is here to chat about her new memoir, JUST THE FUNNY PARTS… And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys’ Club.

Who is Nell Scovell? You may not know the name, but if you’ve ever watched The Simpsons, NCIS, Murphy Brown, The Muppets, Newhart, Charmed, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Late Night with David Letterman, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, or Sabrina the Teenage Witch—which she created—you’ve no doubt laughed at something Nell has written. And, if you're a fan of the monster bestselling book LEAN IN, by Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg (that Nell co-authored), you’ve already spent hours inside her head--which is a fun, heartfelt, intelligent place to hang out!

I’m crazy about her and this book—a memoir VOGUE magazine calls: “The new Bossypants meets Lean In.” If you’re someone who writes, can you imagine a dreamier blurb? Listen in as Nell and I talk about navigating writing collaborations; writing ideas that never pan out, and how to see feedback as constructive, not critical. We discuss pitch meetings—including a word-for-word hilarity she gave to Larry David; accessing creative flow; how not to let men or politics derail your writing, and why she says fearing the blank page is like fearing an empty dog dish.

This no-nonsense Harvard grad (cum laude—sheesh, right?!) will leave you inspired to COMPLETE—and then shamelessly SHARE your work with the world—while standing up for your rights to be seen, heard, and PAID. Nell is an outspoken, longtime advocate for diversity and gender equality in Hollywood; so much so that years before the #metoo movement was on everyone’s lips, she risked everything to go wildly public about the sexist culture, hostile work environment, and lack of female writers in late-night TV. Thankfully, for us, when she gambled it all, her bravery was rewarded, and Nell’s voice was not only not extinguished to a whimper but roared to make it safer for everyone else.

God willing, may Nell Scovell continue to use her voice for the funny parts--and far more--for decades to come.

Welcome.
PS. Remember to get your copy of JUST THE FUNNY PARTS. And, while you’re at it; prep for next month’s show with Austin Channing Brown’s hit debut: I’M STILL HERE: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Austin, a powerful voice for racial justice and a stunning memoirist, is also so much fun—as you’ll see. #Icanteven #bestjobanywhere

PSS. Subscribe here so you'll be the first to know when a new episode airs. (For more info, go to www.BeautifulWritersPodcast.com)

PSSS. If you love the show, please take a sec to give us a 5-star rating on iTunes, which helps spread the word! https://apple.co/2sbpC1J