DIY MFA Radio

Hey there word nerds!

Today I'm pleased to have K.J. Howe on the show. K.J. is the executive director of Thrillerfest, the annual conference of International Thriller Writers. This is one of my favorite genre conferences and I look forward to it every year.

Today I'm talking to Daphne du Maurier Award winner, K.J. Howe about her debut thriller, The Freedom Broker and how to craft a strong female lead in this genre. We also talk about why it's important to give even the most heroic characters a flaw or personal obstacle and for the first time ever on this show, I share a behind-the-scenes look at a personal obstacle I have in my own life. This was such an honest and deep conversation and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed interviewing K.J. Howe.

• Some of the challenges of writing a strong female character. How do you walk that line between over-masculinizing her or making her seem like a "token" character in a male-dominated world?
• Giving your characters limitations that help them feel more realistic on the page. Weaknesses, flaws, and the ability to recognize the limits of their power are important aspects of your characters that keep them from tipping over the edge into indestructible superhero territory.
• Weaving invisible disabilities into stories. Creating characters who are real, who struggle with real health and mental health issues, but who are not defined by their disabilities.
• The dynamics and tension between characters and how to bring their relationships to life for the reader.

K.J. Howe is the executive director of Thrillerfest, the annual conference of International Thriller Writers. A three-time Daphne du Maurier Award winner, she completed her MA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University. She is an avid traveler who has raced camels in Jordan, surfed in Hawaii, and dove with the great whites in South Africa. She became fascinated by the kidnap and ransom (K&R) world after meeting Peter Moore, a British computer consultant who became the longest-held hostage in Iraq and the only person to survive of the five men who were taken that day. The Freedom Broker is her debut novel.

There are twenty-five elite kidnap and ransom (K&R) specialists in the world. Only one is a woman: Thea Paris. And she's the best in the business.Twenty years ago, a terrified young boy was abducted in the middle of the night by masked intruders while his sister watched, paralyzed with fear. Returned after a harrowing nine months with his captors, Thea's brother has never been the same.This life-shattering experience drove Thea to become what she is today: a world-class freedom broker. Most hostage-recovery work is done at the negotiation table, but when diplomacy fails, Thea leads Quantum Security International's black-ops team on highly sensitive rescue missions to political hot spots around the globe.Her childhood nightmare resurfaces when her oil magnate father, Christos Paris, is snatched from his yacht off Santorini on his sixtieth birthday, days away from the biggest deal of his career. The brutal kidnappers left the entire crew slaughtered in their wake, but strangely, there are no ransom demands, no political appeals, no prisoner release requests-just obscure and foreboding texts written in Latin sent from burner phones.Knowing the survival window for kidnap victims is small, Thea throws herself into the most urgent and challenging rescue mission of her life-but will she be able to prevent this kidnapping from destroying her family for good?

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/143

Hey there word nerds!

Today I’m pleased to have K.J. Howe on the show. K.J. is the executive director of Thrillerfest, the annual conference of International Thriller Writers. This is one of my favorite genre conferences and I look forward to it every year.

Today I'm talking to Daphne du Maurier Award winner, K.J. Howe about her debut thriller, The Freedom Broker and how to craft a strong female lead in this genre. We also talk about why it's important to give even the most heroic characters a flaw or personal obstacle and for the first time ever on this show, I share a behind-the-scenes look at a personal obstacle I have in my own life. This was such an honest and deep conversation and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed interviewing K.J. Howe.

• Some of the challenges of writing a strong female character. How do you walk that line between over-masculinizing her or making her seem like a “token” character in a male-dominated world?
• Giving your characters limitations that help them feel more realistic on the page. Weaknesses, flaws, and the ability to recognize the limits of their power are important aspects of your characters that keep them from tipping over the edge into indestructible superhero territory.
• Weaving invisible disabilities into stories. Creating characters who are real, who struggle with real health and mental health issues, but who are not defined by their disabilities.
• The dynamics and tension between characters and how to bring their relationships to life for the reader.

K.J. Howe is the executive director of Thrillerfest, the annual conference of International Thriller Writers. A three-time Daphne du Maurier Award winner, she completed her MA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University. She is an avid traveler who has raced camels in Jordan, surfed in Hawaii, and dove with the great whites in South Africa. She became fascinated by the kidnap and ransom (K&R) world after meeting Peter Moore, a British computer consultant who became the longest-held hostage in Iraq and the only person to survive of the five men who were taken that day. The Freedom Broker is her debut novel.

There are twenty-five elite kidnap and ransom (K&R) specialists in the world. Only one is a woman: Thea Paris. And she's the best in the business.

Twenty years ago, a terrified young boy was abducted in the middle of the night by masked intruders while his sister watched, paralyzed with fear. Returned after a harrowing nine months with his captors, Thea's brother has never been the same.

This life-shattering experience drove Thea to become what she is today: a world-class freedom broker. Most hostage-recovery work is done at the negotiation table, but when diplomacy fails, Thea leads Quantum Security International's black-ops team on highly sensitive rescue missions to political hot spots around the globe.

Her childhood nightmare resurfaces when her oil magnate father, Christos Paris, is snatched from his yacht off Santorini on his sixtieth birthday, days away from the biggest deal of his career. The brutal kidnappers left the entire crew slaughtered in their wake, but strangely, there are no ransom demands, no political appeals, no prisoner release requests-just obscure and foreboding texts written in Latin sent from burner phones.

Knowing the survival window for kidnap victims is small, Thea throws herself into the most urgent and challenging rescue mission of her life-but will she be able to prevent this kidnapping from destroying her family for good?

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/143

Hey there word nerds!

Today we'll be doing something a little bit different on the show. I am so delighted to welcome Kathleen Audet. Kathleen is a brilliant image consultant and is president and owner of Your Authentic Image. She is also a good friend and someone who has helped me turn my own mindset about clothing and image upside down (in a good way). Today we'll be talking about how to use components of image to make your characters come to life and also help you shift your own mindset and attitude.

• Why is what we wear important? If we're just hiding in our writing cave, why does it matter what we wear?
• The work you do around choosing your four words, how to do that, and what to do with those words once we have them.
• Using paint chips to represent different characters. Interestingly enough when you put characters of opposite sides of the color wheel in same scene, that's usually when tension and conflict happens.
• Designing your characters visually. Think about what details you can include to make your character pop off the page.
• • Clothing, including accessories.
  • Grooming, including body hygiene, hair, skin, nail care, and makeup.
  • Body language, including figure/body type, posture, eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, manners and etiquette.
  • Semiotics and how clothing functions as a system of signs.

Kathleen Audet is president and owner of Your Authentic Image. For more than 20 years she has been studying color, design and image management. Kathleen's degrees in education and English form the foundation for her insatiable curiosity about people and ability to teach women on a deeply profound level. Having trained on both coasts of the United States, Kathleen's image and style evaluations are thorough and comprehensive.

Kathleen received image consultant training from the Conselle Institute of Image Management. She is a member of Association of Image Consultants International. She lives northern Nevada and works with clients locally and around the world through her virtual coaching programs.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/142

Hey there word nerds!

Today we’ll be doing something a little bit different on the show. I am so delighted to welcome Kathleen Audet. Kathleen is a brilliant image consultant and is president and owner of Your Authentic Image. She is also a good friend and someone who has helped me turn my own mindset about clothing and image upside down (in a good way). Today we’ll be talking about how to use components of image to make your characters come to life and also help you shift your own mindset and attitude.

• Why is what we wear important? If we’re just hiding in our writing cave, why does it matter what we wear?
• The work you do around choosing your four words, how to do that, and what to do with those words once we have them.
  
• Using paint chips to represent different characters. Interestingly enough when you put characters of opposite sides of the color wheel in same scene, that’s usually when tension and conflict happens.
• Designing your characters visually. Think about what details you can include to make your character pop off the page.
• • Clothing, including accessories.
  • Grooming, including body hygiene, hair, skin, nail care, and makeup.
  • Body language, including figure/body type, posture, eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, manners and etiquette.
  • Semiotics and how clothing functions as a system of signs.
    
    

Kathleen Audet is president and owner of Your Authentic Image. For more than 20 years she has been studying color, design and image management. Kathleen’s degrees in education and English form the foundation for her insatiable curiosity about people and ability to teach women on a deeply profound level. Having trained on both coasts of the United States, Kathleen’s image and style evaluations are thorough and comprehensive.

Kathleen received image consultant training from the Conselle Institute of Image Management. She is a member of Association of Image Consultants International. She lives northern Nevada and works with clients locally and around the world through her virtual coaching programs.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/142

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am excited to interview author and creative writing professor, Susan Perabo.

Susan is the author of two short story collections and the novel, The Broken Places. Her fiction has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories, Pushcart Prize Stories, and New Stories from the South, and has appeared in numerous magazines, including One Story, Glimmer Train, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and The Sun. She is a writer-in-residence and professor at Dickinson College, and her new book, The Fall of Lisa Bellow, is out now.

• How we get to know characters through little glimpses of their lives (in writing workshop terms, we get a lot of "showing" rather than "telling"). We dive into one of those moments in Susan's process and unpack how writers can give readers a full perspective of the characters by showing them in a scene.
• Why it is important for writers to be able to write short form as well as book-length fiction. We also discuss some of the challenges and some of the advantages that short form brings to the craft of writing.
• The use of imagery (both in simile and metaphor) to convey complex ideas or emotions. When using simile or metaphor in this way, we talk about what writers need to think about.

Susan Perabo is the author of two short story collections, Why They Run the Way They Do and Who I Was Supposed to Be, and the novel, The Broken Places. Her fiction has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories, Pushcart Prize Stories, and New Stories from the South, and has appeared in numerous magazines, including One Story, Glimmer Train, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and The Sun. She is Writer in Residence and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Her new book, The Fall of Lisa Bellow, is out now.

When a masked man with a gun enters a sandwich shop in broad daylight, Meredith Oliver suddenly finds herself ordered to the filthy floor, where she cowers face to face with her nemesis, Lisa Bellow, the most popular girl in her eighth grade class. The minutes tick inexorably by, and Meredith lurches between comforting the sobbing Lisa and imagining her own impending death. Then the man orders Lisa Bellow to stand and come with him, leaving Meredith the girl left behind.

After Lisa's abduction, Meredith spends most days in her room, slipping from her world into Lisa's. As the community stages vigils and searches, Claire, Meredith's mother, is torn between relief that her daughter is alive and helplessness over her inability to protect or even comfort her child. Her daughter is here, but not.

Like Everything I Never Told You and Room, The Fall of Lisa Bellow is edgy and original, a hair-raising exploration of the ripple effects of an unthinkable crime. It is a dark, beautifully rendered, and gripping novel about coping, about coming-of-age, and about forgiveness. It is also a beautiful illustration of how one family, broken by tragedy, finds healing.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/141

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am excited to interview author and creative writing professor, Susan Perabo.

Susan is the author of two short story collections and the novel, The Broken Places. Her fiction has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories, Pushcart Prize Stories, and New Stories from the South, and has appeared in numerous magazines, including One Story, Glimmer Train, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and The Sun. She is a writer-in-residence and professor at Dickinson College, and her new book, The Fall of Lisa Bellow, is out now.

• How we get to know characters through little glimpses of their lives (in writing workshop terms, we get a lot of “showing” rather than “telling”). We dive into one of those moments in Susan’s process and unpack how writers can give readers a full perspective of the characters by showing them in a scene.
• Why it is important for writers to be able to write short form as well as book-length fiction. We also discuss some of the challenges and some of the advantages that short form brings to the craft of writing.
• The use of imagery (both in simile and metaphor) to convey complex ideas or emotions. When using simile or metaphor in this way, we talk about what writers need to think about.

Susan Perabo is the author of two short story collections, Why They Run the Way They Do and Who I Was Supposed to Be, and the novel, The Broken Places. Her fiction has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories, Pushcart Prize Stories, and New Stories from the South, and has appeared in numerous magazines, including One Story, Glimmer Train, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and The Sun. She is Writer in Residence and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Her new book, The Fall of Lisa Bellow, is out now.

When a masked man with a gun enters a sandwich shop in broad daylight, Meredith Oliver suddenly finds herself ordered to the filthy floor, where she cowers face to face with her nemesis, Lisa Bellow, the most popular girl in her eighth grade class. The minutes tick inexorably by, and Meredith lurches between comforting the sobbing Lisa and imagining her own impending death. Then the man orders Lisa Bellow to stand and come with him, leaving Meredith the girl left behind.

After Lisa’s abduction, Meredith spends most days in her room, slipping from her world into Lisa’s. As the community stages vigils and searches, Claire, Meredith’s mother, is torn between relief that her daughter is alive and helplessness over her inability to protect or even comfort her child. Her daughter is here, but not.

Like Everything I Never Told You and Room, The Fall of Lisa Bellow is edgy and original, a hair-raising exploration of the ripple effects of an unthinkable crime. It is a dark, beautifully rendered, and gripping novel about coping, about coming-of-age, and about forgiveness. It is also a beautiful illustration of how one family, broken by tragedy, finds healing.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/141

Hey there word nerds!

Today I'm absolutely thrilled to introduce you to Jessica Strawser, the editorial director of Writer's Digest magazine, and author of the stunning debut novel Almost Missed You. As editor of Writer's Digest magazine, she has interviewed luminaries like David Sedaris and Alice Walker and her debut novel—released yesterday from St. Martin's Press—has already garnered early accolades from a humbling list of bestselling authors like, Garth Stein, Adriana Trigiani, and Jacquelyn Mitchard. Her second novel is slated for release in Spring 2018.

• Strategies for setting up your first chapter. Jessica and I unpack ways to craft your first chapter for maximum effect.
• Shifting POV between multiple main characters. Picking which elements of the characters' stories you want to show, and which you want to keep hidden.
• Tapping your personal perspective, emotions, and experiences to help illustrate character experiences in your novel.
• Balancing work, writing, and family in such a way that sets you up to be successful, and helps you channel the strongest emotions possible to your characters. Knowing and being clear about your priorities to meet your goals.

Jessica Strawser is the editorial director of Writer's Digest magazine, North America's leading publication for aspiring and working writers since 1920, where she counts her cover interviews with such luminaries as David Sedaris and Alice Walker among her career highlights. Her debut novel, Almost Missed You, is forthcoming in March 2017 from St. Martin's Press and has garnered early accolades from a humbling list of bestsellers, including Chris Bohjalian, Garth Stein, Adriana Trigiani, Lisa Scottoline and Jacquelyn Mitchard, and a second novel is slated for a Spring 2018 release. Her diverse career in the publishing industry spans more than 15 years and includes stints in book editing, marketing and public relations, and freelance writing and editing (with work published in The New York Times and other fine publications). She blogs at WritersDigest.com and elsewhere, tweets @jessicastrawser and enjoys connecting at Facebook.com/jessicastrawserauthor. Learn more at jessicastrawser.com.

Violet and Finn were "meant to be," said everyone, always. They ended up together by the hands of fate aligning things just so. Three years into their marriage, they have a wonderful little boy, and as the three of them embark on their first vacation as a family, Violet can't help thinking that she can't believe her luck. Life is good.

So no one is more surprised than she when Finn leaves her at the beach—just packs up the hotel room and disappears. And takes their son with him. Violet is suddenly in her own worst nightmare, and faced with the knowledge that the man she's shared her life with, she never really knew at all.

Caitlin and Finn have been best friends since way back when, but when Finn shows up on Caitlin's doorstep with the son he's wanted for kidnapping, demands that she hide them from the authorities, and threatens to reveal a secret that could destroy her own family if she doesn't, Caitlin faces an impossible choice.

Told through alternating viewpoints of Violet, Finn and Caitlin, ALMOST MISSED YOU is a powerful story of a mother's love, a husband's betrayal, connections that maybe should have been missed, secrets that perhaps shouldn't have been kept, and spaces between what's meant to be and what might have been.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/140

Hey there word nerds!

Today I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce you to Jessica Strawser, the editorial director of Writer’s Digest magazine, and author of the stunning debut novel Almost Missed You. As editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she has interviewed luminaries like David Sedaris and Alice Walker and her debut novel—released yesterday from St. Martin’s Press—has already garnered early accolades from a humbling list of bestselling authors like, Garth Stein, Adriana Trigiani, and Jacquelyn Mitchard. Her second novel is slated for release in Spring 2018.

• Strategies for setting up your first chapter. Jessica and I unpack ways to craft your first chapter for maximum effect.
• Shifting POV between multiple main characters. Picking which elements of the characters’ stories you want to show, and which you want to keep hidden.
• Tapping your personal perspective, emotions, and experiences to help illustrate character experiences in your novel.
• Balancing work, writing, and family in such a way that sets you up to be successful, and helps you channel the strongest emotions possible to your characters. Knowing and being clear about your priorities to meet your goals.

Jessica Strawser is the editorial director of Writer’s Digest magazine, North America’s leading publication for aspiring and working writers since 1920, where she counts her cover interviews with such luminaries as David Sedaris and Alice Walker among her career highlights. Her debut novel, Almost Missed You, is forthcoming in March 2017 from St. Martin’s Press and has garnered early accolades from a humbling list of bestsellers, including Chris Bohjalian, Garth Stein, Adriana Trigiani, Lisa Scottoline and Jacquelyn Mitchard, and a second novel is slated for a Spring 2018 release. Her diverse career in the publishing industry spans more than 15 years and includes stints in book editing, marketing and public relations, and freelance writing and editing (with work published in The New York Times and other fine publications). She blogs at WritersDigest.com and elsewhere, tweets @jessicastrawser and enjoys connecting at Facebook.com/jessicastrawserauthor. Learn more at jessicastrawser.com.

Violet and Finn were “meant to be,” said everyone, always. They ended up together by the hands of fate aligning things just so. Three years into their marriage, they have a wonderful little boy, and as the three of them embark on their first vacation as a family, Violet can’t help thinking that she can’t believe her luck. Life is good.

So no one is more surprised than she when Finn leaves her at the beach—just packs up the hotel room and disappears. And takes their son with him. Violet is suddenly in her own worst nightmare, and faced with the knowledge that the man she’s shared her life with, she never really knew at all.

Caitlin and Finn have been best friends since way back when, but when Finn shows up on Caitlin’s doorstep with the son he’s wanted for kidnapping, demands that she hide them from the authorities, and threatens to reveal a secret that could destroy her own family if she doesn’t, Caitlin faces an impossible choice.

Told through alternating viewpoints of Violet, Finn and Caitlin, ALMOST MISSED YOU is a powerful story of a mother’s love, a husband’s betrayal, connections that maybe should have been missed, secrets that perhaps shouldn’t have been kept, and spaces between what’s meant to be and what might have been.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/140

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am excited to interview Dan Blank, founder of WeGrowMedia and author of the new book Be The Gateway that just came out a few weeks ago.

Dan helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals and some amazing organizations who support creative people, such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, And more.

His work has been featured by Poets & Writers magazine, The National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, Compose Journal, and 99u.

To read the post titled "Be the Gateway" where Dan first talked about the gateway idea, click here.

Embed Episode Here

• Sometimes setting limits helps you make something big out of something small. We talk about the ups and downs of writing this book and how Dan landed on this particular project
• The idea of being the gateway (instead of focusing on specific metrics) is a radical shift from how many people think about platform. We discuss why creative people get so hung up on the numbers and how can they get past that and focus on what really matters.
• Be the Gateway touches on these three themes: Story, Creator, and Topics. We talk about these three components and how they contribute to creating that gateway for an audience
• Why the "visualization" myth so dangerous and why people buy into it. We also talk about what people can do instead.

Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience.

He has worked with hundreds of individuals and amazing organizations who support creative people, such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others.

Dan's work has been featured by Poets & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, Compose Journal, and 99u.

Many people feel the drive to do creative work, but get overwhelmed by the process of connecting with an audience. They follow "best practices" in marketing that never seem to pan out, don't produce results, and make them feel lost and oftentimes, frustrated. Be the Gateway offers a powerful way to have an impact.

If you want to share your voice and inspire people with your writing, art, craft, or creative idea, you have to be the gateway for them. Instead of throwing "products" out into the marketplace, you open them up to a new way of looking at the world, of knowing themselves, and connecting with others. You unlock new experiences for them — not just through what you create, but through the unique way in which you share it with the world.

Too often we think about the creative process as being separate from the marketing process. Instead, view them as the same. Replace the inclination to "promote" with the desire to share and engage. How and why you create is a story — and is the best asset you can use to truly engage people. Be the Gateway shows you how to use that gift with joy and confidence.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/139.

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am excited to interview Dan Blank, founder of WeGrowMedia and author of the new book Be The Gateway that just came out a few weeks ago.

Dan helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience. He has worked with hundreds of individuals and some amazing organizations who support creative people, such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, Library Journal, And more.

His work has been featured by Poets & Writers magazine, The National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, Compose Journal, and 99u.

To read the post titled “Be the Gateway” where Dan first talked about the gateway idea, click here.

Embed Episode Here

• Sometimes setting limits helps you make something big out of something small. We talk about the ups and downs of writing this book and how Dan landed on this particular project
• The idea of being the gateway (instead of focusing on specific metrics) is a radical shift from how many people think about platform. We discuss why creative people get so hung up on the numbers and how can they get past that and focus on what really matters.
• Be the Gateway touches on these three themes: Story, Creator, and Topics. We talk about these three components and how they contribute to creating that gateway for an audience
• Why the “visualization” myth so dangerous and why people buy into it. We also talk about what people can do instead.

Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers and creative professionals share their stories and grow their audience.

He has worked with hundreds of individuals and amazing organizations who support creative people, such as Random House, Hachette Book Group, Sesame Workshop, Workman Publishing, J. Walter Thompson, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer's Digest, Library Journal, and many others.

Dan's work has been featured by Poets & Writers magazine, the National Endowment for the Arts, Professional Artist magazine, Compose Journal, and 99u.

Many people feel the drive to do creative work, but get overwhelmed by the process of connecting with an audience. They follow “best practices” in marketing that never seem to pan out, don’t produce results, and make them feel lost and oftentimes, frustrated. Be the Gateway offers a powerful way to have an impact.

If you want to share your voice and inspire people with your writing, art, craft, or creative idea, you have to be the gateway for them. Instead of throwing “products” out into the marketplace, you open them up to a new way of looking at the world, of knowing themselves, and connecting with others. You unlock new experiences for them — not just through what you create, but through the unique way in which you share it with the world.

Too often we think about the creative process as being separate from the marketing process. Instead, view them as the same. Replace the inclination to “promote” with the desire to share and engage. How and why you create is a story — and is the best asset you can use to truly engage people. Be the Gateway shows you how to use that gift with joy and confidence.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/139.