In the spotlight is Regency romance novelist Anne Gracie. Regency romances are a sub-genre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency or early 19th century. Rather than versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency romances are a distinct genre with their own plot and stylistic conventions, according to an account from Wikipedia. Ms. Gracie’s work in the sub-genre has been translated into more than 20 languages. 

We discuss:

>> Myths about romance novels
>> Formula and nonformula plots
>> The power of handwriting
>> Sex scenes
>> Micro-tension
>> Donald Maass
>> Using a pseudonym
>> Etc.
 
Learn more about Anne Gracie here: https://www.annegracie.com/
 
Read Anne Gracie’s blog post about the 10 myths about romance writing here: https://www.annegracie.com/writer-resources/myths-of-romance/
 
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 William Kenower, author of “Fearless Writing,” “Write Within Yourself” and “Everyone Has What It Takes,” in addition to being the editor-in-chief of Author magazine.

We discuss:

>> Writing as a spiritual practice

>> Ending self-doubt

>> Writing within yourself

>> Finding your writing channel

>> The flow state

>> Dealing with emotions

>> Etc.

Learn more about Bill Kenower here: https://www.williamkenower.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 Lorraine Duffy Merkl, author of the novels “The Last Single Woman in New York City,” “Back to Work She Goes” and “Fat Chick.”

We discuss:

>> Autobiographical novels
>> Using pop culture as a jumping off point
>> Weight issues and dieting
>> How to pull off a 40-plus-year marriage
>> Advertising copywriting
>> Writing for immediate gratification
>> The rewards of fiction writing
>> Etc.

Learn more about Lorraine Duffy Merkl here: http://www.lorraineduffymerkl.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 Rosalind Helfand, co-founder of the West Hollywood Book Fair, which she co-directed for 10 years. During that time she championed programming for science fiction, fantasy and graphic novels, and went on to co-found Lit Crawl L.A. and directed Pasadena's literary festival, LitFest Pasadena.

We discuss:

>> Essential elements for a successful book festival
>> The keys to drawing an audience
>> The constituencies represented
>> The underwriters
>> Festival success stories
>> Independent publishing houses
>> Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury and Pamela Anderson
>> How book festivals have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic
>> Etc.

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.

Is there a novel that represented a turning point for your writing efforts? Maybe there were two or three. For me it was "The World According to Garp" by John Irving. Here is a brief explanation how that book and author changed my horizons.

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 Alexander Blevens, author of his debut novel “Bycatch,” a story soaked with greed and forgiveness while Southern and Vietnamese cultures tangle on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Blevens is currently working on his second novel, “Arkansas Black,” about two brothers who are losing their orchard to bankruptcy during the collapse of the apple industry in northwest Arkansas in 1927. (Think prequel to “Grapes of Wrath.”)

We discuss:
>> Starting a book with a “what if” idea
>> Being a seat-of-the-pants writer
>> Profanity in prose
>> Writing groups
>> Ocean Springs and Biloxi, Mississippi
>> Hiking in Spain and Patagonia
>> Traveling the U.S. in an Airstream trailer
>> Etc.

Lean more about Alexander Blevens here: https://alexanderblevens.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 Dallas Woodburn, award-winning writer of fiction, nonfiction and plays. She is also a writing coach and in-demand book coach.

We discuss:

>> Self-characterization
>> Writing for the YA audience
>> The story behind her book title “3 a.m.”
>> The 2022 Thriving Authors Summit
>> Coaching aspiring authors
>> The founding of Write On! Books
>> The biggest writing problem dogging students
>> Her authorial epitaph
>> Etc.

To learn more about Dallas Woodburn, go here: https://www.dallaswoodburn.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 Francesca Lia Block, author of more than 25 books of fiction, nonfiction, short stories and poetry. Her award-winning work has been translated into Italian, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese and other languages. 

We discuss: 

>> Los Angeles sensibilities 

>> Fiction versus nonfiction writing 

>> Sylvia Path, Shirley Jackson and Patti Smith 

>> Autofiction 

>> The author as character 

>> Obsession and anxiety 

>> Her writing and teaching methods 

>> Etc. 

Our guest also reads an excerpt from one of her novels. To learn more about Francesca Lia Block, go here: https://www.francescaliablock.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.

During this episode, Chip Jacobs turns the microphone on his longtime friend, Novelist Spotlight producer and host Mike Consol, seeking some deeper truths from Consol’s newly published book, “Family Recipes: A Novel About Italian Culture, Catholic Guilt and the Culinary Crime of the Century.” Along the way, culprits ranging from caricatured family members to Olive Garden restaurants are victimized.

Learn more about Chip Jacobs (bestselling author of “Arroyo,” “The Darkest Glare” and “Strange as It Seems,” among other titles) here: https://chipjacobs.com

Write to Mike Consol 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 Julia Crouch, author of crime novels such as “The Daughters,” “Every Vow You Break,” “Her Husband’s Lover” and “The New Mother.” She and her actor husband are residents of Brighton, England.

We discuss:

>> Her career around the stage

>> Cinematic writing

>> Novels under consideration for the Silver Screen and streaming channels

>> The adapt-and-survive approach to life

>> The morality of crime writing

>> Etc.

Learn more about Julia Crouch here: http://juliacrouch.co.uk

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.