Kristie Dickinson welcomes bestselling novelist and book coach Lori Gold to Why Authors Write to unpack the making of her twisty new novel, “Kiss, Marry, Kill.”  Lori shares her struggle to wrangle three POVs, multiple timelines, and parallel realities into a complex but readable story, and why she had to revise the plot again and again.  The episode also dives into the realities of a working writer’s life: why most authors need multiple income streams, the truth about advances, and Lori’s best advice on query letters, comps, and building a sustainable literary career.  For aspiring writers and readers who are curious about how bestselling authors navigate everything from revisions to negotiations with publishers, this episode has the answers.   

The novel follows three lifelong friends who co‑found a wellness app company and, after playing a game of Kiss, Marry, Kill at a company retreat, wake up in an alternate universe where their game choices may have come true; or maybe not quite true.

Lori talks about the spark of inspiration for the book’s central story that came from a short‑lived TV show, and her determination to push the idea into a more high-concept book based on her love of Sliding Doors, Palm Springs, and grounded speculative fiction. She talks candidly about the need for heavy revision, walking away from early, over‑complicated drafts, and why she believes that even if experience and writing practice doesn’t make perfect, it gives writers confidence to make radical changes on the way to a final draft.  

This episode is a deep, generous conversation about craft, career, and the very real challenges of writing speculative fiction. Listeners get an inside look at how an initially over‑complicated plot was pared down so the emotional core—and the twists—could really land.

Character building is where Lori feels most at home, and she breaks down how each of the three friends emerged as a different facet of choice in Kiss, Marry, Kill:

- one who charges ahead and chooses selfishly,

- one who sees the world in rigid right vs. wrong,

- and one paralyzed by indecision and fear of choosing

Lori offers us a rich blend of craft wisdom, publishing industry realityies, and creative encouragement—especially for writers wrestling with big concepts, bigger doubts, and the question of how to build a career in writing.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Origin of Kiss Marry Kill
• 05:59 Wrangling Multiple POV and Timelines
• 12:02 The Art of Query Letters
• 23:04 Making a Living as a Full Time Writer