In the spotlight are the dozen novels every man should read. Why? Because each of these novels contain elements that particularly speak to men, novels from which men can derive some important messages from that maybe can help them fulfill their destiny. Maybe that’s an overstatement. Maybe not. You be the judges.
 

Those novels — in no special order, and each of which host Mike Consol will elaborate on — are:

“White Noise” by Don DeLillo

“American Tabloid” by James Ellroy

“Villages” by John Updike

“The Human Stain” by Philip Roth

“East of Eden” by John Steinbeck

“The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway

“The Bonfire of the Vanities” by Tom Wolfe

“The End of the Affair” by Graham Greene

“The Wife” by Meg Wolitzer

“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” by Douglas Adams

“Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas” by Tom Robbins

“Bright Lights, Big City” by Jay McInerney

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

In the spotlight is Alena Dillon, author of “My Body Is a Big Fat Temple,” “The Happiest Girl in the World,” “Mercy House” and “Eyes Turned Skyward.” Her work has also appeared in publications including The Daily Beast, LitHub, River Teeth, Slice Magazine, The Rumpus, and Bustle.

We discuss:

>> Going from nonfiction to fiction

>> Writing fiction rooted in true events

>> Amy Schumer on “Mercy House”

>> Pregnancy

>> Motherhood

>> The rationale for writing

>> Etc.

Learn more about Alena Dillon at this site: https://www.alenadillon.com/home

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

In the spotlight is the author of “Sugar Street,” “The Privileges,” “A Thousand Pardons” and five other novels. Jonathan Dee is also a former contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and a former senior editor of The Paris Review. He has also received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.

We discuss:

>> First person vs. third person narration

>> Creative writing

>> Teaching the craft

>> Syracuse University colleagues

>> The gender ratio among fiction readers

>> Etc.

Learn more about Jonathan Dee at this site: https://thecollege.syr.edu/people/faculty/dee-jonathan/

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

In the spotlight is Lisa Unger, who has sold millions of copies of her suspense novels, had several of her books optioned by Hollywood interests, and has a Jessica Alba project (“Confessions on the 7:45”) in the works for Netflix. 

We discuss:

>> Her latest novel: “Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six” 

>> Writing without an outline 

>> Character-driven novels 

>> The fine line between literary and commercial fiction 

>> Edgar Award nominations 

>> The short story form 

>> The author’s promotional platform 

>> Dinner with the Bronte sisters 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Lisa Unger here: https://lisaunger.com 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

In the spotlight is Melanie Benjamin, author of New York Times and USA Today bestselling historical novels such as “The Aviator’s Wife,” “Mistress of the Ritz” and “The Swans of Fifth Avenue.” 

We discuss: 

>> Biographical historical fiction 

>> Her favorite era 

>> Dalliances with Hollywood 

>> Never writing the same book twice 

>> Her pursuit of theater 

>> Literary ADHD 

>> The upcoming novel 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Melanie Benjamin here: https://melaniebenjamin.com/ 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program. 

Sue William Silverman is the author of four memoirs and winner of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Award Series in Creative Nonfiction. Her memoir “Love Sick: One Woman’s Journey through Sexual Addiction” was made into a Lifetime TV movie. She teaches in the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

We discuss:

>> The distinction between memoirs and autobiographies

>> Reading with intent
>> The value of independent publishing houses

>> Auto-fiction

>> Sensory writing

>> Russell Baker and Patti Smith

>> Incest and sex addition

>> Etc.

Learn more about Sue William Silverman here: https://www.suewilliamsilverman.com/index.htm

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

In the spotlight is Russell James, who was raised on Long Island, N.Y., and spent his evenings watching“Chiller,” “The Night Stalker”and“Dark Shadows,” among other horror shows, while also reading the likes of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe. Today, James’ byline appears on more than 20 horror novels of his own.

We discuss:

>> His beginnings 

>> Piloting U.S. Army helicopters 

>> Horror conventions 

>> Rod Serling 

>> How geography and climate influence story 

>> Greatest horror movies 

>> His novel in the works 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Russell James and his work here:
https://www.russellrjames.com/ 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program. 

In the spotlight is Jennifer Estep, a fantasy author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. She has written more than 40 novels, along with numerous novellas and stories. 

We discuss: 

>> Being a “slush pile baby” 
>> Worldbuilding 
>> The “vomit draft” 
>> The perfect writing day 
>> Newspaper days 
>> Ian Fleming and James Bond 
>> Using social media 
>> Etc. 

Learn more about Jennifer Estep on her website: https://www.jenniferestep.com/ 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.

With almost 60 novels and more than 1 million in unit sales to her credit, Amish and Christian author Amy Clipston would no doubt call herself “blessed.” During a nearly hour-long conversation, we discussed: 

>> The Amish sub-genre

>> What it means to be a Christian fiction writer

>> Writing as ministry

>> Her bestselling novel  

>> Declining church participation  

>> NASCAR 

>> Favorite Bible quote  

>> Biggest challenge as a writer  

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Amy Clipston here: https://amyclipston.com/ 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program. 

In the spotlight, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Cormac McCarthy, who is releasing two new novels, his first since “The Road” 16 years ago. The new novels, which will be released one month apart, are titled “The Passenger” and “Stella Maris” and tell the story of siblings Bobby and Alicia Western, who are tormented by the legacy of their father, a physicist who helped develop the atom bomb, and by their love for and obsession with one another.

More to the point, this episode speaks to McCarthy longtime aversion to being interviewed, though several old newspaper articles from his early career have been unearthed and offer some insights into his writing process.

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol, author of “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century,” “Hardwood: A Novel About College Basketball and Other Games Young Men Play,” and two yet-to-be-published manuscripts, “Lolita Firestone: A Supernatural Novel,” and the short story collection “Love American Style.” Write to him at [email protected]. We hope you will subscribe and share the link with any family, friends or colleagues who might benefit from this program.