Carter Wilson's Making It Up

Allen Eskens is the bestselling author of The Life We Bury, The Guise of Another, The Heavens May Fall, The Deep Dark Descending, The Shadows We Hide, Nothing More Dangerous, and The Stolen Hours. He is the recipient of the Barry Award, Minnesota Book Award, Rosebud Award (Left Coast Crime), and Silver Falchion Award and has been a finalist for the Edgar® Award, Thriller Award, and Anthony Award. His books have been translated into 26 languages. 

Among other things, Carter and Allen discuss how his intensive outlines sometimes create more stories, the hero’s journey from an author's perspective, and how to correctly write a huge plot twist. At the end of their conversation, they tell a story about things gone doubly wrong, starting from a sentence out of Tell Me No Lies by Shelly Noble. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Allen at www.alleneskens.com

Lynne Reeves Griffin is an internationally recognized family counselor, public speaker, teacher, and writer of fiction and non-fiction. Her work has appeared in Parents, Psychology Today, Solstice Literary Magazine, Chautauqua Journal, Craft Literary, Fiction Writers Review, Brain, Child, and more. She writes novels of domestic suspense as Lynne Reeves, with The Dangers of an Ordinary Night published by Crooked Lane Books in November 2021. 

Among other things, Carter and Lynne discuss how she approaches writing with a societal issue in mind, leaving a prescribed “message” out of the story allowing readers their own takeaways, and how to best approach editorial comments. At the end of their conversation, they tell a dark story about decisions and their outcomes, stemming from a sentence out of Harvard Yard by William Martin. 

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Lynne at www.lynnegriffin.com

Amanda Kabak is the author of The Mathematics of Change and her latest novel, Upended. Her stories have been published in The Massachusetts Review, Tahoma Literary Review, Sequestrum, The Laurel Review, and more. She’s also the recipient of the Lascaux Review fiction award, the Arcturus Review’s Al-Simāk award for fiction, and the Betty Gabehart prize from the Kentucky Women Writers’ Conference.

Among other things, Carter and Amanda discuss the messy nature of first drafts and how they lead to crying in coffee shops, working as a technical writer, and communicating trauma in a story. At the end of their conversation, they make up a thriller with a sweet ending from The Secret Next Door by Rebecca Taylor.

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Amanda at www.amandakabak.com

Gabrielle St George is a Canadian screenwriter and story editor with credits on over 100 produced television shows, both in the USA and Canada. Her feature film scripts have been optioned in Hollywood. She also writes humorous mysteries and domestic noir about subjects of which she is an expert– mostly failed relationships, hence her début soft-boiled series, The Ex-Whisperer Files, which recently launched with its first title How to Murder a Marriage.

Among other things, Carter and Gabrielle discuss how childhood can influence creativity, being envious of other writers’ successes, and the confoundedness of mean reviews. At the end of their conversation, they make up a horror story inspired by a sentence from Love and War by John Jakes.

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Gabrielle at www.gabriellestgeorge.com

Yasmin Angoe recently released her debut novel, Her Name Is Knight. She taught English in middle and high schools for years, served as an instructional coach for virtual teachers, and spent time as a freelance copy editor. Angoe recently received the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for emerging writers of color from Sisters of Crime, of which she’s a proud member.

Among other things, Carter and Yasmin discuss Yasmin’s “first” book that she wrote in middle school, why you should always check your junk mail, and what events or topics deserve a trigger warning. At the end of their conversation, they delve into the emotions of someone who had just committed a crime, stemming from a sentence out of The Nines by Sam Anderson.

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Yasmin at www.yasminangoe.com

Dr. Ian Smith is the author of 15 books, both novels, and multiple #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction health and diet books. He is currently the medical contributor and co-host of the nationally syndicated television show The Rachael Ray Show and a former co-host of the Emmy award-winning syndicated daytime talk show, The Doctors. Among many more noteworthy achievements (too many to list here) Dr. Ian was appointed by President Obama to a second term on the prestigious President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.

Among other things, Carter and Dr. Ian discuss the huge differences between writing fiction and non-fiction, the importance of emotional attachment to characters, and how enjoyable and freeing a career in writing can be. At the end of their conversation, they make up a visceral tale of mystery and impulse stemming from a sentence out of Every Deadly Kiss by Steven James.

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Dr. Ian at www.doctoriansmith.com

Drew Magary is a co-founder of the employee-owned sports and culture website Defector, as well as a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle online and the author of three novels. Drew’s life changed forever at a company holiday party in 2018 when he suffered a mysterious fall that caused him to smash his head so hard on a cement floor that he cracked his skull in three places and suffered a catastrophic brain hemorrhage. His latest work—The Night the Lights Went Out—chronicles his recovery from his injury, including understanding what his family and friends went through as he lay there dying, coming to terms with his now permanent disabilities, and trying to find some lesson in this cosmic accident.

Among other things, Drew and Carter discuss Drew’s experience co-founding a media company, how his life-altering accident impacted both his professional and personal mindset, and writing as a form of acceptance and outreach to others. At the end of their conversation, they tell a story of insight from a sentence out of The Rule of Four by Dustin Thomason and Ian Caldwell.

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Drew at www.defector.com

Alverne Ball’s creativity is seemingly boundless. His writing has been featured in literary magazines, he’s crafted award-winning comic and graphic novel material for various production studios, and he’s written and produced a short film himself. Oh, yeah, he’s also a novelist. His latest book is Blue Religion, a sequel to his earlier work Only The Holy Remain.

Among other things, Carter and Alverne discuss the moment of clarity when he knew he wanted to be a writer, how difficult it can be to find a publisher who will work with underrepresented language and characters and the real-life crimes that inspired his novels. At the end of their conversation, they create a gripping story about beginnings and endings, using a sentence from J.R. Moehringer’s The Tender Bar.

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Alverne at www.alvernedball.com

Farrah Rochon is a USA Today bestselling author who has garnered much acclaim for her popular Holmes Brothers and New York Sabers series. More recently, The Boyfriend Project and The Dating Playbook. When she’s not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah enjoys reading, cooking, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and Broadway shows.

Among other things, Carter and Farrah discuss her mom’s influence as an English teacher, pursuing psychology to end up writing Romance, and how self-publishing is sometimes the best decision. At the end of their conversation they take a sentence from The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens and craft a story about a man brought to justice by a goat.

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilsom.com

Connect with Farrah at www.farrahrochon.com

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series, which has sold over 8 million copies worldwide. In addition, he has two other series, several standalone novels, and numerous short stories. His latest book, The World Played Chess, is the emotionally arresting follow-up to The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. 

Among other things, Carter and Robert discuss their love for storytelling and where it comes from, how Robert went from practicing law to theater to writing, and how he sought war stories from Vietnam veterans in order to write books honoring them. At the end of their conversation they craft a darkly compelling story beginning with a sentence from John Grisham’s A Painted House.

Connect with Carter at www.carterwilson.com

Connect with Robert at www.robertdugonibooks.com