“The muse days and the slog days look the same on the page, but they feel completely different when you’re writing them.” —Aime Austin 

Aime Austin is the author of the Casey Cort and Nicole Long legal thriller series, weaving sharp social commentary into gripping crime fiction. Born in Brooklyn, Aime graduated from Smith College and Cornell Law School before practicing family and criminal law in Cleveland, Ohio. She now splits her time between Los Angeles and Budapest, writing thrillers, hosting the podcast A Time to Thrill, and interviewing brilliant women creators. Aime is a 2025 Mystery Writers of America Barbara Neely Scholarship recipient.

Among other things, Aime and Carter discuss Aime’s experiences doing “stringer” work for newspapers, fearing losing momentum in your writing, and attracting new readers as your fanbase ages. At the end of their conversation, they make up a dark story using a line from Tess Gerritson’s The Summer Guests.