The Write Note

In this episode Christian author Taylor S Newport joins us to discuss her debut into the thriller genre, the perfect balance of action and integrity, and the potential to be prolific.

Episode highlights:

02:56 Astounding accomplishments of youth

04:25 Character is King: Exceptional Youth Edition

10:45 Welcome Taylor S Newport

12:53 Thrills and integrity

17:13 Writing fast and crafting a cliffhanger

20:11 A writing editor or an editing writer?

26:20 Being somewhat prolific

Taylor S Newport Official website

In this episode we ring in the New Year with a Top 5 list of resolutions for writers to engage and improve their craft in 2025.

 Episode highlights:

02:41               Who originated the idea of New Year’s Resolutions?

05:58              Character is King: Great Resolve Edition

12:25               The Top 5 list of resolutions for writers

13:10               Correspondence course

15:30               Own it!

18:05               Life gets in the way

22:12               Immersive days

23:49              The REAL reward of writing

In this episode we bask in the glow of the holiday season and explore the lyrics of a collection of classic Christmas songs and share the untold stories behind the music.

Episode highlights:

02:00              How many Christmas songs are there?

05:27              Character is King: Special Christmas Edition

11:06               A merry little song

16:02               Keira’s intro to Christmas

20:37              The hymn once banned by the Catholic Church

26:33              Christmas wrapped up in a bow

31:20               A stolen song and A Very Special Christmas

36:41               A Broadway Christmas tune

42:17               Merry Christmas from The Write Note

In this episode Amazon Bestselling author Diana Rubino joins us to discuss how a love for history has inspired her to write nearly 20 historical romance and biographical novels.

Episode highlights:

01:17               Past is more than prologue

04:41              Character is King: Historic Edition

14:00              Welcome Diana Rubino

19:22               Finding comfort in biographies

23:22              Who killed President Kennedy?

28:55              Love conquers all

35:54              Feeling the weight of history

40:50              Around the World in 80 Meals

45:02              Josephine Earp: Sassy Lady of History

In this special episode Keira shares big news about her writing career.

Episode highlights:

01:19   Keira’s big news

02:51   A Smyth’s Quill – The story that landed a contract

04:24   Oliver-Heber Books: The Terms

07:05   Writing under a deadline

08:30   The best part of OHB (so far)

In this episode author and graphic artist Dineen Miller joins us to discuss creating the perfect book cover and shares the allure of writing romantic comedies.

Episode highlights:

01:10               Judging a book by the cover

05:57             Character is King: Artistic World Edition

11:29               Welcome Dineen Miller

13:40              The evolution of graphic art technology

17:14               Cover market awareness is vital

20:48             Weighing in on AI

26:30             What is the job of your book cover?

33:39             The allure of writing romantic comedies

39:06             Moments Matter – Laughter Lingers

42:15              Writing from a male perspective

In this episode we examine the most controversial story-ending trope ever devised. It was all a dream…or was it?  We look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of employing this trope and play a game of “Neat” or “Cheat” with some famous dreamy endings.

Episode highlights:

01:35               Nailing the end of a story

02:40              It was all a dream…or was it? - The controversial trope

09:46              Character is King: Dreamy Edition (or is it?)

13:26               Neat or Cheat

13:58               A dream-sharing masterpiece

18:18               Was Dickens deceptive?

20:41               The great escape…or was it?

26:40              A train, a bell, and a hole in a pocket

31:37               The midnight twist

35:25              Honorable mention

In this episode we celebrate Summerween with a creepy collection of songs and the stories that made them scary. From the Stones to the X-files. From a gypsy to a howling crooner, we cover some spooky, cooky, ground.

Episode highlights:

01:25 Keira Returns!

01:55 What is Summerween?

06:00 Character is King: Summerween Edition

10:55 From a certain perspective

14:18 A gypsy, a potion, and a cop

16:33 A wonderful song with a creep X-factor

21:15 A paranoid song

25:00 A happy song made creepy

30:07 Screaming a song to death

In this episode we welcome author and poet Kara Quinn to discuss the long and winding path she took to find a literary agent. Kara also shares the challenges she faced when she took on the all-consuming task of writing a psychological thriller.

Highlights:

01:35               Kara’s Poem

03:02              Character is King: Poetic Edition (abbreviated)

04:55              Welcome Kara Quinn

05:57              The long path to find an agent

11:00               Query tools and tips

13:15               Good rejections

17:10               St. Augustine & the chemical structure of Serotonin

21:35               What Happened to Vivian Bell – The elevator pitch.

28:27               Kara the creepy weirdo

34:03               A cherished writing exercise

38:19               Writing poetry vs writing a novel

44:16               The nostalgia of A Gold Chain

47:52               How to drink like an author

In this episode we examine the long-lost art of writing advertising jingles and recognize the copywriters and creative directors who crafted the most memorable songs from commercial advertising’s golden era. Along the way, we revisit classic commercial tunes.

Episode highlights:

01:20    From song to sonic tagline

03:38    A jingle that went to Billboard’s No. 2

06:14    Nutty

07:13    Broadway Branding

08:11    It does it all in 30 seconds

09:17    Insidious tune

10:19    The unity of sweet effervescence