The Premise

Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. In this episode, Wall Street Journal reporter, Justin Scheck talks with Jeniffer about his experience covering the Saudi royal family and the wild reality behind its power hungry prince. Blood and Oil, is a fascinating glimpse into the politics of oil, and how staggering wealth and unchecked ambition created what most would consider a true monster. MBS ordered the ruthless murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, proposed creating a city with a fake satellite moon and robot dinosaurs, and even imprisoned his own family members. But oddly enough, Justin’s biggest fear while on assignment in Saudi Arabia wasn’t MBS, but the crazy traffic there. 

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Set My Heart To Five is a book that examines the oddities of human behavior by observing them from the outside, via an Android named Jared. It's set in 2054 in what Simon calls a Mistopia. He and Jeniffer talk about how he came up with the idea for the novel and the ways we may relate to Jared when we really start thinking about it. They discuss how he transitioned from Doctor to Writer, a bit about his creative process, and whether he prefers writing screenplays or novels. They share their opinions about Japanese Whiskey Vs Scotch and you'll find out whether or not, Simon himself, is actually a robot.

Unlike anything you have ever read before, Set My Heart to Five is a love letter to outsiders everywhere. Plus it comes uniquely guaranteed to make its readers weep a minimum of 29mls of tears.*

*Book must be read in controlled laboratory conditions arranged at reader’s own expense. Other terms and conditions may apply to this offer.

Find him here:
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Warwick's

Sigrid Nunez is what may be considered a writer's writer, and she references other writers and the art itself often in her newest book, What Are You Going Through. In this episode she tells Jeniffer about her writing process—which starts with just the all important first sentence and builds from there—weaving a whole world by answering the questions that first sentence asks. Sigrid also tells Jeniffer what inspires her to write, and how she decided on the Stream of Consciousness style for What Are You Going Through. She also reads a beautiful passage from the book, and if that doesn't captivate you enough to tune in, maybe finding out why she edits as she goes will.

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Ann Gonzales is the creator and facilitator of Easel Does it-Art and Recovery workshops and author of the magnificent children's book, Beloved and the Pepper Tree. She Considers herself an artist and seeker. She talks with Jeniffer about how the idea for her book came about, the process of finding her illustrator, and how she's built her brand with clever ideas and creative projects. Beloved and the Pepper Tree is her first book and it deals with facing change and the challenges that brings.

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Jeniffer and Chad talk with John Vorhaus about what it takes to be a good comic writer and how some of those things may be inborn. They discuss everything from his writing process, and his experience teaching comedy writing all over the world, to ultimate frisbee, poker, and dumb jokes. And, yes, there really was a Russian version of Married with Children. John worked on that show and learned some valuable lessons about how comedy isn't always universal. So, knowing your audience is key. 

Jan Eliasberg has written and directed for theater, film, and television, including shows like Miami Vice, Criminal Minds, and Nashville. In this episode Jeniffer and Chad speak with Jan about her novel, Hannah’s War. The novel was inspired by, and tells the story of, Hannah Weiss, a Jewish physicist working on splitting the atom. Hannah realizes the destructive potential of her work but as a woman, was not listened to, nor credited. Jan talks about how she was inspired by her discovery of the real-life Jewish, female Physicist in an old NYT article, who remained unnamed and uncredited for her work. 

Jan discloses who she can imagine playing Hannah if her book is optioned for a film. Which as it turns out, may actually happen. She’ll also enthrall you with a reading from Hannah’s War.  

You can find her here:

• Website
• Get the book here
• Twitter
• Instagram

Sara Schaefer is an Emmy winning stand up comedian and comedy writer who's been featured on too many comedy shows to mention. If you don't already know her work, you're missing out. This episode, in another partnership with Warwick's Books, goes deep into the process of how Sara wrote her memoir, what she learned from it, and covers topics everyone can relate to. You'll also get to hear Sara read a passage from Grand, about an all too familiar bad haircut experience.  But, of course, you'll have to buy the book to get the full story.

Charles Rosenberg is not only the author of several novels based on imagined history, but a Law professor and script consultant for several Prime Time television shows, such as LA Law and Boston Legal. Charles gets his inspiration from examining history and observing the present to imagine how the past could have been vastly different just by a change in circumstance. Jeniffer talks with him about his most recent work, The Day Lincoln Lost, and how by imagining an alternative past he ended up creating parallels with current events unintentionally. This episode will get you thinking, and spark your imagination. 

You might suspect Brad Thor's background hosting the TV series Traveling Lite had something to do with his interest in international espionage and adventure, and you'd be right. Brad tells Jeniffer about what got him started as a writer, how he created his series protagonist, Scot Harvath, and how that character has changed over the course of writing 20 books. You'll find out how Brad's path to success is an interesting story of hard work, dedication, and some honeymoon trip kismet. 

The San Diego Writers Festival was born out of a passion to unite our community through storytelling and to give a voice to those who often feel voiceless. We celebrate inclusivity and accessibility, creating a day that celebrates all races, genders, religions and abilities. If you missed our inaugural event, we’re pleased to announce that we will continue to offer year-round programming and resources for writers. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list for what’s to come in 2019, and what’s on the horizon for 2020!

The San Diego Writers Festival:
Uniting San Diego—One Story at A Time
http://sandiegowritersfestival.com/