Carter Wilson's Making It Up

D.P. Lyle is the award-winning author of 22 books, both non-fiction and fiction. He is the International Thriller Writer’s VP for Education and runs CraftFest, Master CraftFest, and ITW’s online Thriller School. D.P has also written for television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Cold Case, House, Pretty Little Liars, and more. 

Among other things, Carter and D.P. discuss the importance of confidence, the research that goes into writing and having too many books to write at once. At the end of their conversation, they tell a quirky little mystery based on a sentence from Hostile Witness by William Lashner. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Doug at www.dplylemd.com

Ananda Lima is a poet whose most recent collection, Mother/land, is the winner of the Hudson Prize. She is also the author of Chapbooks Translation (winner of the Vella Chapbook Prize), Amblyopia, and Tropicália (winner of the Newfound Prose Prize). Her work has appeared in the American Poetry Review, Poets.com, Kenyon Review Online, and many more. She has an MA in Linguistics and an MFA in Creative Writing.  

Among other things, Carter and Ananda talk about writing in various languages, constructing verse from abstract thoughts, and how the publishing industry works for poetry. At the end of their conversation, they make up a bizarre little tale beginning from a sentence out of The Institute by Stephen King. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Ananda at www.anandalima.com

Katrina Monroe is a novelist whose debut title, They Drown Our Daughters releases in July 2022 from Sourcbooks. The book has been named one of CrimeReads' 16 Horror Novels To Look Out For In 2022 and Tor Nightfire's Horror Books We're Excited About In 2022. Katrina lives in Minnesota with her wife, two children, and Eddie, the ghost who haunts their bedroom closets. 

Among other things, Carter and Katrina talk about what constitutes horror, how the switch from small publishing to a larger release is going and preparing to attend writer conferences for the first time. At the end of their conversation, they tell a story about unsuccessful therapy, from a sentence out of a Victorian Ghost Stories collection. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Katrina at www.katrinamonroe.com/

Katie Lattari is the author of two novels, American Vaudeville, a small press work, and her recent thriller debut, Dark Things I Adore. Her short stories have appeared in such places as NOO Journal, The Bend, Cabildo Quarterly, and more. 

Among other things, Carter and Katie discuss creepy small towns, the tumultuous journey to writing novels, and how to handle the editor’s first letter without panicking. At the end of their conversation, they make up a little tale about a dark plan, starting from a sentence from The Tourist, by Olen Steinhauer. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Katie at www.katielattari.com

Novelist Erica Ferencik is a graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Boston University. Her most recent release, Girl In Ice, was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a Los Angeles Times Best Crime Novel of Winter 2022, and a Reader’s Digest Best Fiction Book of 2022. 

Among other things, Carter and Erica discuss the benefit of travel for researching books, how writing comedy and thrillers are more similar than you might think, and what it looks like to define your own success. At the end of their conversation, they tell a quirky yet brutal story from Mario Puzo’s The Last Don. 

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award-winning co-host of the literary TV show A Word on Words. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker. With millions of books in print, J.T. has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, been optioned for television, and has been published in 28 countries. 

Among other things, Carter and J.T. discuss growing up surrounded by reading and writing, making every mistake in the book as a new writer, architect-vs.-gardener writing styles, and wanting your characters to really live. At the end of their conversation, they tell a story full of intrigue, stemming from a sentence out of They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with J.T. at www.jtellison.com

Lara Elena Donnelly is the author of the Nebula, Lambda, and Locus-nominated trilogy The Amberlough Dossier, as well as short fiction and poetry. Lara has taught in the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence College as well as the Catapult Workshop in New York. She is a graduate of the Clarion and Alpha writers’ workshops and has served as on-site staff at the latter, mentoring amazing teens who will someday take over the world of Science Fiction & Fantasy. 

Among other things, Carter and Lara discuss writing competitions and workshops, the value of a critique group, and how different the editing and publishing process is between publishers. At the end of their conversation, they use a sentence from The Searcher by Tana French to craft a story about the last few seconds of life.  

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Lara at www.laradonnelly.com

Aaron Philip Clark is a novelist and screenwriter from Los Angeles, CA. In addition to his writing career, he has worked in the film industry and law enforcement. His most recent novel, Under Color of Law, which was inspired by his experience in the LAPD, was just named a 2022 Thriller Awards finalist (Best Paperback Original). 

Among other things, Carter and Aaron discuss the world of screenwriting, eBooks versus hard copies, and what you can and can’t teach about writing. At the end of their conversation, their improvised story (beginning with a sentence from The Negotiator by Frederick Forsyth) will leave you wanting answers. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Aaron at www.aaronphilipclark.com

Alex Finlay is the pseudonym of Anthony Franze, who launched his debut thriller the same year as me back in 2012.  His 2021 breakout thriller as Alex Finlay, Every Last Fear, was an Indie Next pick, a LibraryReads selection, an Amazon Editor’s Best Thriller, as well as a CNN, Newsweek, E!, BuzzFeed, Business Week, Goodreads, Parade, PopSugar, and Reader’s Digest best or most anticipated thriller of the year. His recent release is The Night Shift.  

Among other things, Carter and Alex discuss learning to write by clinically analyzing the books they love, how being a lawyer influenced his original Supreme Court thrillers under Anthony Franze, and how taking on a pen name not only is weird for your personal life but also can change your writing style and voice. At the end of their conversation, they make up a tale based on Robert Ludlum’s The Borne Ultimatum. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Alex at www.alexfinlaybooks.com

Daniel Jude Miller is the author and illustrator of the children’s picture book series Monsters in Manhattan, as well as Everybody Wake Up, Earclaw and Eddie, and Halloween Boy and the Christmas Kid. Growing up in Queens, NY and working in Manhattan inspired Daniel to write and draw all the creatures and goblins he came across on a daily basis. He now lives upstate, far from the clutches of those monsters. 

Among other things, Carter and Daniel talk about Daniel’s decision to start his own publishing company after 12 years as an illustrator, the process of educational presentations for schools, and managing a publishing business through the pandemic. At the end of their conversation, they tell a creepy story starting from a sentence in Joyland by Stephen King. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Daniel at www.djudemiller.com