Tess & Karen couldn't believe their good luck in landing Jayne Ann Krentz as a guest!
 
The author of over 50 New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 35 million copies of her books in print.

Readers and authors will enjoy hearing her thoughts on the art of reinvention, defining the core story, and why emotions in novels are more important than setting.

Books mentioned
Sweetwater and the Witch by Jayne Castle
Sleep No More  by Jayne Ann Krentz
Website: Jayne Ann Krentz

Lindsay is a full-time independent fantasy and science fiction author who loves travel, hiking, tennis, and vizslas. She's written over a hundred novels, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list, and has been twice nominated for a Goodreads Readers' Choice Award.

Tess and Karen loved hearing about how she got her start in publishing, why she decided to set up a Patreon account, and why she believes that free books are a valuable marketing tool for authors. She also explains the writing process that has enabled her to write over 100 books.

Enjoy!

Book mentioned:
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Lindsay Buroker
Six Figure Authors podcast

Kim Taylor Blakemore is the bestselling author of After Alice Fell and The Companion, as well as young adult novels Bowery Girl and Cissy Funk, winner of the WILLA Literary Award. She is also the recipient of a Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award and three Regional Arts & Culture Council grants. 

In addition to writing historical novels about fierce and dangerous women, Kim is the founder of Novelitics, which provides coaching, developmental editing, workshops, and community to writers from around the US and Canada.

Her newest novel is The Deception.

Website: Kim Taylor Blakemore
Novelitics

Book mentioned:
Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel  by Jessica Brody

On this episode, Tess & Karen are joined by Heather Wheeler Sadlemire, book promoter extraordinaire! Listen in as she tells what drew her to book promotion, and how she helps authors find their audience. She also discusses current trends in social media (including TikTok!) and explains the advantages of authors teaming up with others when doing giveaways.

Enjoy!

https://www.ontopofthatmarketing.com/

We were thrilled when Tess's assistant, MaryAnn, graciously agreed to come on the show! Listen in as she explains how she got her start, the importance of keeping up to date with innovations in publishing, and why she considers customer service to be part of her job. She also divulges how she assists two authors with diverse personalities, each one writing in a different genre. As a bonus, she also shares some book recommendations. 

Enjoy!

#1 Amazon bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. In today's interview she shares how she got the news that multiple parties in Hollywood were vying for the rights to her book, The Housemaid. Other topics include her writing process, how her math background helps with the intricate plotting required to write thrillers, and how she chooses her titles.

Book mentioned:
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel  by Jessica Brody

https://www.freidamcfadden.com/

This episode sponsored by: A Limited Run  by Karen McQuestion

Director and writer David Koepp has used his storytelling skills to write screenplays for more than thirty films,  including the first two Jurassic Park movies, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, War of the Worlds, Ghost Town (with the enigmatic John Kamps) and Kimi.  As an author, he's penned the novels Cold Storage and Aurora. In this interview, he shares how a landscaping problem led to his audiobook, Yard Work,  which was narrated by Kevin Bacon. Listeners will also love hearing about his experiences working in the film industry and learning about the inspiration behind his new highly-acclaimed novel, Aurora.

Enjoy!

Books mentioned:
Aurora by David Koepp
On Writing by Stephen King
Danse Macabre by Stephen King
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Screenplay by Syd Field
Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

https://davidkoepp.com/

Collectively Tess & Karen have written more than sixty books so it's not surprising that they've picked up a few skills along the way. On this episode they discuss the art of creating complex characters who will strike a chord with readers. Using specific examples from movies and books, they describe methods writers can use to get their characters to the next level. They hope you find it interesting and useful!

Books mentioned:
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

Tess's Presentation on Characterization

Tess and Karen loved talking to Ellen Marie Wiseman, a New York Times bestselling author of six highly acclaimed historical fiction novels. The interview covers her start as an imaginative child and concludes with a discussion of her fascinating book, The Lost Girls of Willowbrook, a novel described as a blend of fact, fiction, and urban legend. She also reveals how she chooses names for her characters and the temptation of going down the rabbit hole of research. She believes in crafting stories that cover past social injustices not widely known and creating characters that illustrate the resiliency of the human spirit.   
 
Writers and readers alike will enjoy this fascinating conversation.

Books mentioned:
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
On Writing by Stephen King

https://ellenmariewiseman.com/

For those considering advertising on BEHIND THE BOOK:  https://forms.gle/bk7zRhMPw66xBJWP6

Are you an author looking for new ways to get the word out about your books? Or are you a reader wondering how authors go about marketing new releases? Well, look no further! 

Podcast co-hosts Tess Thompson, a USA Today Bestselling Author, and Karen McQuestion, an Amazon Charts Bestselling Author, have picked up a plethora of marketing tips and tricks over the years. Other authors have been instrumental in helping them along the way, so they've done this episode to pay it forward.

They hope you find it informative and entertaining.  

• Kindlepreneur Dave Chessen: https://kindlepreneur.com/
• Kindlepreneur Book Description Generator
• BKlink--to check book categories: https://bit.ly/3xCf64B
• Marketing guru David Gaughran: https://davidgaughran.com/
• Method for Writing a Book Description: https://www.karenmcquestion.com/for-writers
• BookBrush: https://bookbrush.com/
• BookFunnel: https://bookfunnel.com/
• BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/launch
• Author Promotion: On Top of That Marketing  https://www.ontopofthatmarketing.com/
• Goodreads Giveaways
• Inkers Con
• King Sumo (Giveaway hosting site): https://kingsumo.com
• A+ Content
• Book: Write that Novel!  by Karen McQuestion

For advertising on BEHIND THE BOOK:  https://forms.gle/bk7zRhMPw66xBJWP6