I loved my convo with Nancy Reddy, the author of THE GOOD MOTHER MYTH and the Substack Be Less Careful. We discussed what people really want from book events, specific tricks to make a book launch interactive and memorable, where events fit into the author-brand ecosystem, the best book releases we ever attended, the pluses and pitfalls of planning a virtual event, and more. We even had an on-the-spot brainstorm about two viewers’ upcoming book parties!

Huge thanks to Olivia Muenter, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, Fabio N.Biazetti, Julie Zuckerman, JENNIFER VAN DER KLEUT, and others for tuning in. After this, I’ll be taking a break from Substack Lives and returning to the Words With Author Friends interview format for a bit.

I adored my chat with Amie McNee, beautifully transparent and inspiring Substacker and the author of WE NEED YOUR ART, among other books. We discussed her new historical mystery, TO KILL A QUEEN, as well as trad- vs. self-publishing, figuring out how to tell a detective story, balancing business with the “sacred space” of creation, Amie’s genius reframe for ~self-promo~, and more.

Thanks so much to Fabio N.Biazetti, Mallary Tenore Tarpley, Karen Dukess, Megan Caryline, James Winestock, and many others for tuning in! TO KILL A QUEEN is out now, and y’all are going to love it. Here’s the description:

Enter a shadowy world of crime in Elizabethan London with this twisty historical mystery featuring a queer sleuth and a dash of romance!When Queen Elizabeth I is nearly assassinated, the rebellious heir to a criminal legacy seizes an opportunity for a better life.London, 1579. In the treacherous alleyways of London, Jack has left behind the life of petty crime, hoping to atone for the past by rooting out murderers. As the eldest child of a notorious and infamous figure who controls the slums, Jack has no safe place to land and dreams of a future off the streets. When an attempt is made on the Queen’s life, it falls to Jack to catch the would-be-assassin and fight for a different future.

With the help of a coroner, Damian; a sultry barmaid with a secret; and the criminal connections from Jack’s past, the unlikely investigator dives into the case. But the former thief’s informants keep turning up dead, and every lead seems to vanish just when it feels within reach. As Jack follows the trail deeper into danger, the question becomes: Who can truly be trusted? With the promise of security and redemption hanging overhead, Jack must uncover who orchestrated the assassination attempt before time runs out in this historical mystery, perfect for fans of Tasha Alexander.

I loved sitting down with the hilarious, prolific, and insightful Mike Chen, who’s turned his nerdy fandom (said lovingly) into a badass career as the New York Times bestselling author of both original commercial spec fic novels (including, most recently, A Quantum Love Story) and contributions to the SFF canon, such as Star Wars: Brotherhood, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Dog of War, Marvel: What If . . . Marc Spector Was Host to Venom?, and more.

We chatted in depth about how he broke into writing for these landmark franchises, the elements that make you attractive to IP (intellectual property) editors, the nuts and bolts of writing work-for-hire books in an established universe (think: deadlines, subsidiary rights, the pitching process…), the role social media can play in getting a dream book assignment, and more.

You can listen to or watch the interview in a browser or the Substack app, or listen to the audio in your favorite podcast player (instructions here). I had a blast chatting with Mike (who does, fair warning, drop some F-bombs), and I hope you enjoy listening in!

Big thanks to Sierra Godfrey, Lisa Pertoso, Isabela Livino, Amjed McDonnell, Jeni Anderson, and many others for tuning into our live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

I had the best time chatting with Vanessa Lillie about her new thriller, THE BONE THIEF, as well as the Anthropic lawsuit, my run-in with Reese Witherspoon (!), what it was like writing and selling a sequel, how we prep ourselves for the pub-week tornado, and more.

Big thanks to Olivia Muenter, The Balance Dilemma Podcast, Michelle Richmond, J. Lincoln Fenn, Jaime Garbin, and many others for tuning into the live video with Thriller Thursday. THE BONE THIEF comes out Tuesday and I can’t wait for y’all to check it out. Here’s the description:

When a Native teenager vanishes from her small town—a place with dark ties to an elite historical society—archaeologist Syd Walker is called to investigate...from bestselling author Vanessa Lillie.In the hours before dawn at a local summer camp, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist Syd Walker receives an alarming call: newly discovered skeletal remains have been stolen. Not only have bones gone missing, but a Native teen girl has disappeared near the camp, and law enforcement dismisses her family’s fears.As Syd investigates both crimes, she’s drawn into a world of privileged campers and their wealthy parents—most of them members of the Founders Society, an exclusive club whose members trace their lineage to the first colonists and claim ancestral rights to the land, despite fierce objections from the local tribal community. And it’s not the first time something—or someone—has gone missing from the camp.The deeper Syd digs, the more she realizes these aren’t isolated incidents. A pattern of disappearances stretches back generations, all leading to the Founders Society’s doorstep. But exposing the truth means confronting not just the town’s most powerful families, but also a legacy of violence that refuses to stay buried.From the national bestselling author of Blood Sisters (a Washington Post Best Mystery of the Year and Target Book Club pick) comes a new Syd Walker novel that proves the sins of the past are destined to repeat until the truth is finally unearthed.

I loved sitting down with the delightful Jenny Rosenstrach, who writes the Substack Dinner: A Love Story. We chatted about how we found our agents, what we learned from working in magazines, dealing with a fear of navel-gazing in our own work, and more. (Please enjoy my full-court press for Jenny to start writing that novel already!)

I finally set up a “podcast” (it gets airquotes) for my Substack Lives, so now felt like the person time to send this out. You can listen to or watch the interview in a browser or the Substack app, or listen to the audio in your favorite podcast player (instructions here). I had so much fun chatting with Jenny, and I hope you enjoy listening in!

Have a great weekend, friends, and don’t stop calling pestering your reps.

Andrea Bartz: Get It Write is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thank you Sim Carter, Stephanie Hedrick, Abigail Nora Brennan, and many others for tuning into my live video with CeCe Lyra of The S**t About Writing Team! You can watch the replay above.

We chatted about social media strategy for new authors, how to make settings come alive, switching genres, getting the most out of a writers’ retreat, differentiating characters’ voices, and more. (And my mom’s poodle made an appearance around the 3:30 mark. Her name is, wait for it…CeCe!)

One announcement: Today’s scheduled Substack Live with Jenny Rosenstrach of Dinner: A Love Story was pushed back a week, to 3pm ET on Tuesday, June 10. Download the app to join us!