The Story Blender

Lisa Phillips is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London. She is a USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author who is releasing her 61st book this fall. In this interview on The Story Blender, she shares her strategy for publishing and writing, how she deals with upcoming deadlines, and her thoughts on character arcs. If you like romantic suspense, especially inspirational suspense, check it out!

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in writing from The New School and speaks at college campuses and national conferences. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and book industry professionals and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community.

A special episode to celebrate Be A Kid Again Day.Remember to tell a story, listen to one, imagine the impossible… and maybe even venture out for a little game in the twilight.

Listen in as famed writing instructor, NY literary agent, and best-selling author Donald Maass unpacks some of the secrets to best-selling novels, the important of an emotional journey (for the reader!) and why you should not follow storytelling or literary trends. While you listen, check out his latest book on the craft of writing, The Emotional Craft of Fiction. Grab a cup of coffee, settle back, and click play.

After spending half her life living in diverse cultures throughout the world, Nova McBee spent seven years studying writing before penning her first Young Adult novel, CALCULATED, which is now in development for film. In this interview she shares her passion for complex stories, the importance of fractals, and how to write young adult novels that also appeal to 80-year-olds! You’ll also be amazed to find out how many times she reads through her books while editing them.

John Gilstrap’s first novel, Nathan’s Run, hit the market in 1996 and set the literary world on fire. Publication rights sold in 23 countries, the movie rights were scooped up at auction by Warner Brothers, and John changed professions. A safety engineer by training and education, he specialized in explosives and hazardous materials, and also served 15 years in the fire and rescue service, rising to the rank of lieutenant. That “first” book was really his fourth, and that one call from an agent (after logging 27 rejections) changed the trajectory of his life. Twenty books and seven movie projects later, it’s been a good run, and it’s still running. John has spoken at events across the country and his YouTube channel, “A Writer’s View of Writing and Publishing” has thousands of subscribers and more are coming aboard every day.

Danielle Girard is the USA Today and Amazon #1 bestselling author of Chasing Darkness, the Rookie Club series, and Exhume, Excise, Expose, and Expire featuring San Francisco medical examiner Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman. Girard’s books have won the Barry Award and the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, and two of her titles have been optioned for movies. A graduate of Cornell University, Girard received her MFA at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. She, her husband, and their two children split their time between San Francisco and the northern Rockies. Far Gone, book two of her Badlands Thriller Series, is available now.

Alma Katsu is the award-winning author of seven novels. She’s mostly known for historical horror, including her latest The Fervor (Putnam), and The Hunger, which was recently named by Esquire as one of the top 50 horror novels of all time. She’s also written Red Widow, her first spy novel. She drew on 30+ years in intelligence with CIA and NSA to write this book, which was named a NYT Editors Choice and is in development for a TV series. She lives in the greater Washington DC area.

Comedian Bob Smiley has been doing standup for over 20 years all over the United States and Arkansas.  He’s written three books for Focus on the Family in the series he created called “The Adventure’s of Average Boy.”  The books, as well as his “The Average Boy Podcast” is aimed at making kids laugh while encouraging them to be the best God created them to be.  Bob is also very good at mowing and has a massive hotel shampoo collection.

Kim Weitkamp is an award-winning storyteller, author, singer-songwriter, and humorist. Kim used applied storytelling in her work with adjudicated and at-risk youth for 12 years and now tours full-time and performs regularly at festivals and theaters around the country. She has been a guest editor and contributor for various publications and her material gets regular airplay on Sirius XM and NPR Affiliate Stations. In addition, she has recorded 8 award-winning albums and hosted a morning show for a DOVE Award-winning radio network. Kim has been honored with leadership awards for her coaching and speaking work with internationally known companies like Purina and Edward Jones, as well as nationally recognized nonprofits like Feeding America, Habitat for Humanity, and Conflict Resolution Centers.