Ciera Horton McElroy is the author of the novel Atomic Family, which has received critical praise including a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Ciera holds a BA from Wheaton College and an MFA from the University of Central Florida. Her work has appeared in AGNI, Bridge Eight, Iron Horse Literary Review, the Crab Orchard Review, and Saw Palm, among others.  

Among other things, Ciera and Carter discuss her knowing from a young age that she wanted to be a writer, how trends in the industry work, and the dark side of MFA and literary programs. At the end of their conversation, they tell a a beautiful story beginning from The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy.