In the spotlight is Nick Berg, an Iranian American author whose life and writing has been marked by cultural conflict and the search for purpose. Born in Tehran to an Iranian mother and an American father, he grew up amid Iran’s rich cultural heritage and the intense political upheavals of the region. 

Those formative experiences influenced Nick Berg’s worldview in profound ways, inspiring him to tell stories that resonate with both struggle and redemption. His novel, Shadows of Tehran, is based on a true story and reflects his journey through themes of identity, survival and transformation. 

Learn more about Nick Berg and his work here: https://www.pnberg.com
 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no
 

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]

In the spotlight is Bob Johnson, award-winning short story writer, a graduate of the lowa Writers’ Workshop, and author of the new short story collection titled “The Continental Divide,” for which he has received immense praise. His short stories have been published by literary journals including The Common, Philadelphia Stories, The Barcelona Review and elsewhere. His story “The Continental Divide” was named Short Story of the Year by The Hudson Review, and he subsequently wrote a short story collection of the same name. 

Bob Johnson lives in South Bend, Indiana. 

Learn more about Bob Johnson and buy a copy of “The Continental Divide” here: https://www.bobjohnsonwriter.com/ 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no      

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected] 

In the spotlight is Judith Valente and her new book The Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of Life. Valente — a journalist, poet and the author of six spirituality titles and three poetry collections — worked previously as an on-air correspondent covering faith and values for PBS and was also a staff writer at The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal and was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. Valente grew up in Bayonne, N.J., where she was surrounded by a large, boisterous Italian American family. 

We discuss:

>> The contemplative life 

>> How Italians make an art of conversation 

>> The sanctity of the dinner table

>> “Slow tourism” 

>> The life expectancy of Italians 

>> Why procreation among Italians has slumped 

>> The Catholic Church 

>> Italy’s reverence for its art and architecture 

>> Elena Ferrante and her Italy-based Neapolitan novels 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Judith Valente here: https://www.judithvalente.com/

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no     

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected] 

In the spotlight is Vauhini Vara — writer, journalist, editor, fiction writer, essayist and playwright. Her debut novel, The Immortal King Rao, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her story collection, This is Salvaged, was longlisted for The Story Prize and the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. A nonfiction book, Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age, was published earlier this year.

She began her journalism career as a technology reporter at the Wall Street Journal and later launched, edited and wrote for the business section of the New Yorker’s website. Since then, her writing has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Wired, and elsewhere. She is a Businessweek contributing writer and can sometimes be found working as a story editor at the New York Times Magazine.  

Learn more about Vauhini Vara here: https://www.vauhinivara.com/

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no     

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected] 

In the spotlight are book publicists and Tandem Literary business partners Gretchen Koss and Meg Walker, who have more than 40 years of combined experienced in the business. They have represented authors ranging from Elmore Leonard and Terry McMillan to Suze Orman, Mary Karr and Lance Armstrong. 

We discuss: 

>> What book publicists do 

>> How to choose the right publicist 

>> What they are expected to deliver to their clients 

>> When a publicist should be hired 

>> What book publicists expect of their clients 

>> The costs involved 

>> Which genres are hottest 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Tandem Literary here: https://tandemliterary.com/ 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no     

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected] 

In the spotlight is Jim Gregory, who publishes under the byline Dr. James R. Gregory and has 40 years of experience in advertising and branding, and he is an expert on corporate brand management. After successfully exiting the business, he embarked on a new direction — writing fiction. He soon discovered his favorite strategy was writing short reads in the form of novellas, stories that can be enjoyed in just one sitting — such as an evening at home or a cross-country flight.

Jim Gregory has written four works of fiction. They are titled "Small Fortunes," "Stones in a Glass House," "Fortune Teller," and "Zephyr’s War."  

We discuss: 

>> Branding and marketing 

>> The top brands among novelists 

>> Short versus long writing 

>> Padding novels 

>> Organic writing 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Jim Gregory here: https://jamesrgregory-books.com 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no    

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected] 

In the spotlight is Janice Deal, the author of two novels titled THE BLUE DOOR and THE SOUND OF RABBITS, and two short story collections titled THE DECLINE OF PIGEONS, and a linked collection titled STRANGE ATTRACTORS.

THE DECLINE OF PIGEONS was a was a Flannery O’Connor Award finalist, and THE SOUND OF RABBITS was a finalist for both the Many Voices Project annual competition, and the Black Lawrence Press Big Moose Prize. 

We discuss: 

>> Short stories versus novels
>> Open versus closed story endings

>> George Saunders 
>> Stephen King

>> Movies 

>> Gesture drawings 

>> Honing copy 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Janice Deal here: https://www.janicedeal.com 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no   

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected] 

In the spotlight is Tracy Clark, a Chicago native and the author of the award-winning Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series, featuring ex-cop turned private investigator Cassandra Raines, and the detective Harriet Foster series, featuring Harriet Foster, a homicide detective with the Chicago Police Department. Two tough, smart, African American female characters working the mean streets of the Windy City. 

We discuss: 

>> Creating characters 

>> Cassandra Raines 

>> Harriet Foster 

>> Chicago 

>> Deep-dish pizza 

>> Organic versus outlined writing 

>> Key writing advice 

>> Literary influences 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Tracy Clark here: https://tracyclarkbooks.com 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no  

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected] 

In the spotlight is Christine Estima — playwright, novelist, a performer. Her debut novel, “Letters to Kafka” is scheduled for release in September, and was preceded by her debut book, “The Syrian Ladies Benevolent Society,” named one of the best books of 2023 by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. 

We discuss: 

>> Milena Jesenská, the Czech writer and translator of Franz Kafka novels 

>> Short stories versus novels 

>> How to respect one’s readers 

>> The Arab immigrant experience 

>> Finding literary agents 

>> Shut Up & Write! The free global writing community 

>> Etc. 

Learn more about Christine Estima here: https://www.christineestima.com/home/ 

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no 

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]

In the spotlight is Hank Quense, whose latest book is titled “The Author’s AI Tool Kit: From Concept to Publication.” Quense’s fiction works include the Gundarland series, the Princess Moxie series, and the soon-to-be-published Zaftan series. His non-fiction books include titles such as “How to Self-Publish and Market a Book, “Book Marketing Fundamentals, “Business Basics for Authors,” and “Creating Your First Novel.”

Quense has been strongly influenced by two authors in particular: Douglas Adams and his novel “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,” and the Joseph Heller classic “Catch-22.”

Learn more about Hank Quense here: https://hankquense.com

Novelist Spotlight is produced and hosted by Mike Consol. Check out his novels here: https://snip.ly/yz18no

Write to Mike Consol at [email protected]