Carter Wilson's Making It Up

Elise Hart Kipness is a former television sports reporter turned thriller writer. LIGHTS OUT is based on her experience in the high-pressure, adrenaline-pumping world of live TV.  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. She is currently copresident of Sisters in Crime Connecticut, as well as a member of Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers.  

Among other things, Elise and Carter discuss character dynamics, Elise’s experiences as a debut author, and how titles are determined. At the end of their conversation, they make up a mysterious tale starting with a sentence from Six Years by Harlan Coban. 

Entertainment Weekly called Martin Clark “hands down, our finest legal-thriller writer.” The New York Times stated that he is “the thinking man’s John Grisham.” Martin’s novels have appeared on multiple bestseller lists and have been chosen as a New York Times Notable Book, a New York Times Editors' Choice, and a Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year. His current release is The Plinko Bounce. 

Among other things Martin and Carter discuss the getting into the publishing groove as a writer, the need to utilize social media marketing, and reading crazy book reviews. At the end of their conversation, they make up a little legal thriller starting with a sentence from Power Play by Joseph Finder. 

Erin Hoover is the author of two poetry collections, Barnburner and No Spare People. Her poems have appeared in The Best American Poetry and Best New Poets, and in journals such as Cincinnati Review, Florida Review, Poetry Northwest, and Shenandoah. She lives in rural Tennessee and teaches creative writing at Tennessee Tech. 

Among other things, Erin and Carter discuss how Erin found herself writing and relating to poetry, the differences between prose and poetry, and the process of putting a collection of poetry together that combines emotional intensity variation but remains coherent. At the end of their conversation, they make up a mysterious little tale starting with a sentence from The Princess Bride by William Goldman. 

Stephen G. Michaud is an internationally recognized author, co-author, reporter, and editor whose decades-long career credits comprise twenty books and multiple contributions to periodicals. The New York Daily News named The Only Living Witness (a biography of serial killer Ted Bundy co-authored with Hugh Aynesworth) one of the ten best true-crime books ever written. Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer, a compilation of Michaud and Aynesworth’s death-row interviews with Bundy, was a New York Times bestseller, and in January 2019, Netflix premiered it as a four-part series of the same name. Stephen’s latest book is Robert's Story: A Texas Cowboy's Troubled Life and Horrifying Death. 

Among other things, Stephen and Carter discuss Stephen’s early journalism days, how he was able to get in and interview Ted Bundy, and his experiences with different types and genres of writing. At the end of the conversation, they tell a gradually more intense story starting with a sentence from All The Brittle Pieces by Erik K. Hale. 

Edward Cahill is Professor of English at Fordham University, specializing in the literature of British America and the early US republic; more recently, he has been teaching modern and contemporary fiction and writing novels. His debut novel, Disorderly Men, was published by Empire State Editions for Fordham University Press in September 2023 as the press’s first original literary fiction release. 

Among other things, Edward and Carter discuss how screenwriting teaches editing skills, the challenge of trusting your instincts, and learning how to be a public storyteller. At the end of the conversation, they tell a story of cruel intentions starting with a sentence from The Bastard by John Jakes. 

Hannah Nicole Maehrer—or as TikTok Knows her, @hannahnicolemae—is a fantasy romance author and BookToker with a propensity for villains. When she’s not creating bookish comedy skits about Villains and Assistants, she’s writing to Taylor Swift songs. Her biggest passions in life include romance, magic, laughter, and finding ways to include them all in everything she creates. Most days you can find her with her head in the clouds and a pen in her hand. 

Among other things, Hannah and Carter discuss the choose-your-own adventure stories she grew up telling, going from a TikTok creator to writing a novel, and Hannah’s publication adventure. At the end of their conversation, they tell comedic story about what happens with too much wine, starting with a sentence from Secret Next Door by Rebecca Taylor. 

Carol Dunbar is a former actor, playwright, and coloratura soprano who left her life in the city to move off the grid. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The South Carolina Review, Midwestern Gothic, and on Wisconsin Public Radio. Her most recent release is A Winter’s Rime, a harrowing and emotional novel set-in rural Wisconsin. 

Among other things, Carol and Carter discuss the psychology of writing and curiosity about other lives, the relationships writers have with their characters, and all the things Carol learned writing her first novel. At the end of the conversation, they make up a story about scary decisions, starting with a sentence from The Day After Tomorrow by Allen Folsom.  

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Carol at www.caroldunbar.com

Heather Levy is a born and bred Oklahoman and graduate of Oklahoma City University’s Red Earth MFA program for creative writing. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including CrimeReads and NAILED Magazine. The New York Times called her Anthony-nominated debut Walking Through Needles “a spellbinding novel at the nexus of power, desire, and abuse that portends a bright future” and the L.A. Times called it “a standout for its frank but sensitive exploration of trauma and desire.” Her novels focus on kink-positive stories centered around badass women.  

Among other things, Heather and Carter discuss the various book conferences they attend, how Heather learned to write a full novel, and her publishing experience. At the end of their conversation, they tell a story about a plan gone wrong starting from a sentence in Stolen Things by R. H. Herron. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Heather at www.heatherlevywriter.com

Amy Weinland Daughters is a humorist, a freelance sportswriter, and an author. Her second book, Dear Dana: That Time I Went Crazy and Wrote All 580 of My Facebook Friends a Handwritten Letter (She Writes Press), was released May 17, 2022. Currently a resident of Tomball, Texas, Amy, and her family have also lived in Blackwell, England, and Dayton, Ohio. 

Among other things, Carter and Amy discuss how living in other places (beyond where you grew up) helps foster empathy, the development of understanding humor and how to write humor, and the challenge of hoping your book is received well at the same time you’re promoting it. At the end of the conversation, they devise an alluring story from a sentence out of The Fireballer by Mark Stevens. 

In a special live episode of Making It Up (recorded at the Broomfield Public Library auditorium in Colorado), Carter takes the stage with mystery author extraordinaire Emily Littlejohn (Shatter the Night), teacher, author and artist R. Alan Brooks (The Burning Metronome), and acclaimed novelist Erika T. Wurth (White Horse). 

Among other things, Carter and the authors discuss their different journeys to becoming authors, how the industry has gotten harder in the last 50 years, and how they approach family and friend readers during the writing process. At the end of the conversation, the four of them make up a story together starting with a sentence from the children’s book The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer.