Carter Wilson's Making It Up

“There are no shortcuts, right? It doesn't matter what you're writing—you just have to do it.”  — Mailan Doquang 

Mailan Doquang is an architectural historian turned thriller writer. Mailan received her Ph.D. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. She has published extensively on the art and architecture of medieval France, in addition to teaching at some of the top universities in North America. Her debut novel is BLOOD RUBIES.

Among other things, Mailan and Carter discuss Mailan’s transition from academia to writing fiction, learning to cut unnecessary words, and the imposter syndrome that emerges at writing conferences. At the end of their conversation, they make up a descriptive story using a line from Stephen King’s Desperation. 

"The only way your journey in publishing ends is if you stop trying."  – Kaira Rouda 

Kaira Rouda is a USA TODAY, Amazon #1 and international bestselling author. She has worked in marketing, real estate, and other career fields, including being the society columnist for the Columbus Dispatch for ten years. Kaira’s work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Three of her novels have been named Amazon Editor’s Picks, and her novels have won several awards, including Suspense Magazine’s Best Book of 2021 Award. 

Among other things, Kaira and Carter discuss setting your novels in the suburbs, writing accurate portrayals of teenagers, and learning how to be proud of yourself and celebrating your victories. At the end of their conversation, they make up a twisted story using a line from Martin Edwards’ The House on Graveyard Lane. 

"I just don’t buy into the whole failure thing—you either succeed or you learn."  – Laura Resau

Laura Resau is the author of The Alchemy of Flowers, her debut novel for adults, and eleven acclaimed books for young people. Her books have won five Colorado Book Awards and spots on “best-of” booklists from Oprah, the American Library Association, and more. Trilingual, she’s lived in Provence and Oaxaca, and studied cultural anthropology and languages. She teaches graduate creative writing at Western Colorado University.

Among other things, Laura and Carter discuss how cultural curiosity sparks imagination, naiveté when finding an agent and editor, and navigating the realms of children’s/teen fiction and adult fiction. At the end of their conversation, they make up a tense story using a line from Ali Land’s Good Me Bad Me. 

“I got 26 rejections, and I’d kind of given up. Then Simon & Schuster gave me a three-book deal. And I thought, oh, this is awesome—then, oh shit, I have to write the other two.”  – Bryan Gruley

Bryan Gruley is the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of the forthcoming thriller BITTERFROST. Gruley is also the author of the Starvation Lake trilogy, the first book of which was nominated for an Edgar Award and won Anthony, Barry, and Strand awards. A journalist for over forty years, Gruley shared in The Wall Street Journal’s Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and has won numerous awards for his nonfiction. 

Among other things, Bryan and Carter discuss designing merchandise for your novels, having “something to say” in your writing, and building suspense by creating questions and leaving them unanswered. At the end of their conversation, they make up an intense story using a line from Karin Slaughter’s This Is Why We Lied. 

“Writing it was like chipping away at a mountain with a pair of nail scissors.”  —Ellen Birkett Morris 

Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of Beware the Tall Grass, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence. She is also the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award and finalist for the Clara Johnson, IAN and Best Book awards. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Saturday Evening Post, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction, and a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council.

Among other things, Ellen and Carter discuss the transition from writing poetry to novels, supporting other writers within the writing community, and maximizing dramatic potential in individual scenes. At the end of their conversation, they make up a descriptive story using a line from Ayn Rand’s We the Living. 

“Not that my work is superior to Rear Window, but I thought—what’s more interesting than a broken leg? A broken mind.”  —A.J. Finn 

A. J. Finn is the author of The Woman in the Window, the #1 internationally-bestselling phenomenon published in more than forty languages and adapted for the screen as a film starring Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, and Julianne Moore. His second novel, End of Story, was released in February 2024.

Among other things, A. J. and Carter discuss how previously working in publishing influenced A. J.’s writing journey, reasons behind adopting a pseudonym, and A. J.’s experience being at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. At the end of their conversation, they make up a mysterious story using a line from Jeffrey Konvitz’s The Circus of Satan. 

“If I'm going out to sea, I'm doing it in a ship I built, not in the piece of crap they want me to build."  – Matt Goldman quoting Jerry Seinfeld 

Matt Goldman is a New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy Award winning television writer.  He has been nominated for the Shamus Award and Nero Award. Matt's television writing credits include Seinfeld, Ellen, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Among other things, Matt and Carter discuss the writing behind stand-up comedy versus the performance of it, staying true to vision and voice while writing for Seinfeld, and learning brevity. At the end of their conversation, they make up a beautiful and detailed story using a line from Cormac McCarthy’s The Passenger. 

“The best part of writing that first, terrible book was realizing I could write a book. That changed everything.”  – Joshua Moehling 

Joshua Moehling is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ben Packard series. The first book, AND THERE HE KEPT HER, was a Barnes & Noble monthly Mystery/Thriller pick and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ+ Mystery. His second novel, WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP, was described as “a well-paced whodunit” and “devastating” by The New York Times. 

Among other things, Carter and Joshua discuss authors that grew up as army brats, the utility of critique groups, and the transition from a full-time job to writing full-time. At the end of their conversation, they make up a dark story using a line from Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. 

"Two simple words—'what if'—can create thousands of novels."  – Traci Abramson

Traci Hunter Abramson was born in Arizona, and after graduating from Brigham Young University, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, eventually resigning in order to raise her family. She recently retired after twenty-six years coaching her local high school swim team. She has written forty-five best-selling novels and is an eight-time Whitney Award winner, including 2017 and 2019 Best Novel of the Year.

Among other things, Traci and Carter discuss how Traci’s background in the CIA influenced her writing, treating writing as a job versus as a hobby, and Traci’s experiences with the CIA’s review board when writing her novels. At the end of their conversation, they make up a mysterious story using a line from Lee Goldberg’s Dream Town. 

Cynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award winning and International Latino Book Award winning author and poet. She is the first Latina in history to win a Bram Stoker Award. Pelayo writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore concepts of grief, mourning, and cycles of violence. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, and more.

Among other things, Cynthia and Carter discuss having a day job while writing, their approaches to social media, and writing fairy tales versus novels grounded in reality. At the end of their conversation, they make up a clever story using a line from Mindy Mejia’s A World of Hurt.