Carter Wilson's Making It Up

Alex Kenna is a prosecutor, writer, and amateur painter. Before law school, Alex studied painting and art history at Penn.  She also worked as a freelance art critic and culture writer. Alex’s debut novel, What Meets the Eye, was nominated for a Shamus Award for best first PI novel. Kirkus Reviews called it a “righteous, painful debut,” and Bookpage called her “a master in the making.” 

Among other things, Alex and Carter discuss finding creative outlets after professional schooling, navigating doubts throughout the first-draft process, and mixing genres to create a compelling story. At the end of their  conversation, they make up a comedic story using a line from David Guterson’s The Country Ahead of Us, The Country Behind. 

Georgia Jeffries is a writer of Emmy Award-winning drama and acclaimed noir fiction, and has been honored with multiple Writers Guild Awards, Golden Globes, and the Humanitas Prize. She worked as a journalist for American Film before writing and producing Cagney & Lacey, China Beach, and Sisters. Her short stories have appeared in national suspense anthologies, and she has also written biographical and historical profiles for HuffPost, Los Angeles Review of Books, and University of California Press. She is a professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she created the BFA Television Thesis program.

Among other things, Georgia and Carter discuss optimism in the entertainment industry, teaching craft and business to MFA students, and how experience in screenwriting translates to writing novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from William Kent Krueger’s Fox Creek. 

Rebecca McKanna is an associate professor of English at the University of Indianapolis. Her debut novel, Don’t Forget the Girl, was nominated for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ+ Mystery and the 2023 Strand Magazine’s Critics Award for Best Debut Mystery, and awarded the 2024 Indiana Authors Award for Genre Fiction. Her short stories have been anthologized in The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 and recognized as distinguished in The Best American Short Stories 2019. She has been published in Colorado Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, and The Rumpus, among others.

Among other things, Rebecca and Carter discuss the process of launching a debut novel, the struggle of self-promotion and going public with your book, and the differences between genre fiction and literary fiction. At the end of their conversation, they make up a chilling story using a line from Samantha Jayne Allen’s Next of Kin. 

Elise Hart Kipness is a television sports reporter turned crime fiction writer. In addition to reporting for Fox Sports Network, Elise was a reporter at New York’s WNBC-TV, News 12 Long Island, and the Associated Press, covering events including the Olympics, NBA and NCAA Championships, and the US Open. She is the President of Sisters in Crime Connecticut, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Key West Library. The third book in her Kate Green thrilled series, Close Call, will be released in October 2025.

Among other things, Elise and Carter discuss pitching books in person to agents, Elise’s 12-hour writing days, and listening to your own book on audio. At the end of their conversation, they make up a creepy story using a line from Elise’s own novel, Dangerous Play. 

Brad Parks is an international bestselling author, and the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His novels have been translated into 16 languages and have won critical acclaim across the globe, including stars from every major pre-publication review outlet. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Parks is a former journalist with The Washington Post and The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger. 

At the end of their conversation, Brad and Carter discuss writing from the perspective of a teenager, Brad’s experience with Amazon publishing, and exploring themes of false accusations and innocence in a novel. At the end of their conversation, they make up a beautiful story using a line from Larry McMurtry’s Sin Killer. 

Edward Hamlin is a fiction writer and composer of music for acoustic guitar. Edward’s NIGHT IN ERG CHEBBI was selected by Karen Russell as winner of the 2015 Iowa Short Fiction Award and went on to win the Colorado Book Award. Other honors have included a Nelson Algren Award, a Nelligan Prize, an NCW Short Story Prize, a Top of the Mountain Novel Prize and a Hawthornden Fellowship. His compositions for solo acoustic guitar have appeared on three CDs and on film. 

Among other things, Edward and Carter discuss being reviewed by professional book review magazines, the importance of getting readers vs sales, and distancing your writing from your own personal experiences. At the end of their conversation, they make up a clever science-fiction story using a line from Edward’s own novel, Sonata in Wax. 

Libby Cudmore is the author of Negative Girl and The Big Rewind, as well as the Wade & Jacks P.I. series in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Tough. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous places including The Dark, Smokelong Quarterly, Shotgun Honey, and more. She is the 2018 recipient of the Oregon Writer’s Colony prize, the 2023 Shamus award for best P.I short story, and the 2023 Black Orchid Novella award. She is the current co-host of the OST Party and Misbehavin’ podcasts and the former co-host of The Shattered Shield podcast, and teaches short fiction through The Writer’s Circle. 

Among other things, Libby and Carter discuss Libby’s ongoing book tour, treating writing as if it is your day-job, and the benefits of engaging socially in the writing community. At the end of their conversation, they make up a chilling story using a line from Clare Mackintosh’s A Game of Lies. 

Jen Ruiz is a lawyer turned full-time travel blogger. A multiple bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and national award-winning travel journalist, she has been featured in The Washington Post, Forbes, and ABC News. Jen has been named a Latina Travel Expert by Mitu and Top 40 Under 40 by the Naples Herald. She is the solo female traveler behind Jen on a Jet Plane.

Among other things, Jen and Carter discuss Jen’s personal travel challenge she set for herself, how she utilizes “sensitivity readers” in her books, and the dark side of having a career in social media. At the end of their conversation, they make up a suspenseful story using a line from J.N. Stroyar’s The Children’s War. 

Gina DeMillo Wagner is an award-winning journalist and author. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Memoir Magazine, Modern Loss, Self, Outside, Writer’s Digest, and other publications. She is a Yaddo Fellow, a winner of the CRAFT Creative Nonfiction Award, and her memoir was longlisted for the 2022 SFWP Literary prize. Gina has a master’s degree in journalism and is an instructor at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. 

Among other things, Gina and Carter discuss how writing scientific biology papers led Gina to pursue journalism, the guilt associated with writing about struggles with family members with disabilities, and navigating the publishing process during the pandemic. At the end of their conversation, they make up a humorous story using a line from R.G. Belsky’s Broadcast Blues. 

Barbara Feigin is an advertising executive and World War II refugee, having fled with her parents from Nazi Germany as a young child in 1940. She attended Whitman College, then completed a graduate program in business run jointly by Harvard Business School and Radcliffe Graduate School. She had a 30-year career in advertising, mostly with Grey Advertising, and in 2017 she was named one of the century’s Legendary Pioneers by Grey. Her memoir was released January 2024.

Among other things, Barbara and Carter discuss Barbara’s family’s experiences escaping Nazi Germany, working in advertising as a woman in the 1960s, and how Barbara utilized writing coaching to start her memoir. At the end of their conversation, they make up an imaginative story using a line from Alex Kenna’s Burn This Night.