#1 New York Times bestselling author, Susannah Cahalan, spoke to me about her writing process, witch candles, and stepping into the shoes of psychedelic pioneer Rosemary Woodruff Leary in her new biography THE ACID QUEEN.

Susannah Cahalan is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and public speaker. Her first book, Brain on Fire, has sold over a million copies and has been translated into more than twenty languages. Her second book, The Great Pretender, was shortlisted for the Royal Society’s 2020 Science Book Prize.

Her latest biography The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary, “...chronicles the life of Rosemary Woodruff Leary (1935–2002), a prominent figure in the 1960s psychedelic movement and Timothy Leary’s wife from 1967 through 1976.” 

Kirkus gave THE ACID QUEEN a glowing review, calling it a “well-wrought narrative that brings deserved attention to a lost figure in the counterculture,” and Publishers Weekly called it a “... stranger than fiction story [that offers] a vivid portrait of how flower power cracked up in the ’70s.”

Susannah Cahalan has been profiled in the New York Times, featured as an answer on Jeopardy!: delivered a TEDx Talk, and appeared as a guest on The Today Show, PBS, BBC’s Inside Science, and Fresh Air, among many others.

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In this file Susannah Cahalan and I discussed:

The throughline that connects all of her books

Synchronicities that led her to the life story of a psychedelic icon

How she used the research process to fully immerse herself in Rosemary’s persona

What she’s learned over the course of her writing career

Why you need to find time for “deep work” to get the pages

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

susannahcahalan.com

The Acid Queen: The Psychedelic Life and Counterculture Rebellion of Rosemary Woodruff Leary By Susannah Cahalan (Amazon)

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport (Amazon)

The Modern Library Writer's Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction by Stephen Koch

Susannah Cahalan on Facebook

Susannah Cahalan on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and entrepreneur Emma Knight spoke to me about finding the courage to write fiction, the Loch Ness Monster of motherhood, and her breakout debut novel The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus.

Emma Knight is an author, journalist, Co-Founder and Head of Brand at Greenhouse, an award-winning organic beverage company, and co-author of The Greenhouse Cookbook (2017), a national bestseller.

Her debut novel and instant New York Times bestseller, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, is described as a “coming-of-age story, part family drama, and part campus novel.”

#1 New York Times bestselling author Carley Fortune called the book “A spellbinding debut about friendship, motherhood, first love, and the choices that bind us . . . I couldn’t put it down.”

Emma Knight also has an MA in Journalism, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, Literary Hub, and more.

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In this file Emma Knight and I discussed:

The contrast of her whirlwind world tour after five years of writing

Why you can only write one sentence at a time

The process of removing your ego from the work

Taking the same advice she shared with her daughters

Why it's so much better to make things up for a living

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight (Amazon)

Emma Knight talks how debut novel is a metaphor for motherhood - Today

Emma Knight on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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#1 New York Times bestselling author, Carley Fortune, spoke to me about her storied career as a journalist, writing a breakout hit in just four months, and her latest novel, MEET ME AT THE LAKE.

Carley Fortune is an award-winning Canadian journalist and the #1 New York Times and #1 Globe and Mail bestselling author of Meet Me at the Lake and Every Summer After. 

Her latest, Meet Me at the Lake, is described as a “...love story about two strangers who come together when they need each other most. Once, in their early twenties, and again a decade later.”

GMA said of the book, "Fortune explores the aftermath of losing a beloved parent and reclaiming a relationship in this unputdownable, witty, soulful and stirring novel." And New York Times bestselling author Jill Santopolo called Meet Me at The Lake “... a beautiful, heart-tugging, love story about secrets, lies, missed connections and second chances.”

Carley has worked as an editor at some of Canada’s top publications, including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, and a now-defunct weekly paper, The Grid. She was most recently the Executive Editor of Refinery29 Canada.

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In this file, Carley Fortune and I discussed: 

What prompted her to reclaim her creative energy

How to write 80 thousand words in just four months

Why writers need to keep their expectations realistic and protect their mental health

How she starts planning her novels 

Why extroverted writers need to get into real clothes and out of the house

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

carleyfortune.com

Meet Me at the Lake By Carley Fortune (Amazon) 

Carley Fortune Amazon Author Page

Carley Fortune on Instagram

Carley Fortune on Twitter

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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Acclaimed debut novelist and award-winning poet Jeanette Horn spoke to me about writing experimental poetry, getting a fateful call from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, and the magical realism in her debut novel PLAY, WITH KNIVES.

Jeanette Horn is an Iowa Writers' Workshop MFA program graduate and was a Maytag Fellow.

Her debut novel, Play, With Knives, is described as the story of “A struggling theater troupe [that] tours the Midwest by surreal train—where aspects of their plays come to life and wreak havoc—in this inventive literary novel.”

Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, said of the book, "Play, With Knives is a work of wondrous imagination—a dream from which I did not want to awaken." 

Jeanette also earned a BA in English from the University of Texas, where she won several Adele Steiner Burleson Awards for poetry and essay writing. Her work has appeared in MARGIE, Poetry International, Stand, Washington Square, and other journals.

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In this file Jeanette Horn and I discussed:

What it was like at Iowa's famed Writer's Workshop

Why her debut novel was a labor of love (10 years in the making)

The successful query letter that led to publishing the book

Her true feelings about the cover art

Why it’s ok to write in the margins

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

www.jeanettehorn.com

Play, With Knives by Jeanette Horn (Amazon)

Successful Queries: Jaynie Royal and “Play, With Knives,” by Jeanette Horn

By Any Other Name Paperback by Jodi Picoult (Amazon)

The Stab - jeanettehorn.substack.com

Jeanette Horn on Instagram

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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Award-winning journalist and The Atlantic staff writer Olga Khazan spoke to me about the worst way to launch a book, writing long-form watchdog journalism, and her latest ME, BUT BETTER, The Science and Promise of Personality Change.

Olga Khazan is a staff writer for The Atlantic – covering science, health, and psychology for more than a decade – and the author, previously, of Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World. She was also The Atlantic’s Global editor, and ​​former host of The Atlantic’s podcast How To Start Over.

In her forthcoming book Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change (S&S/Simon Element), she reveals the science behind lasting personality change, and explains how anyone, at any age, can seize the reigns of their destiny.

New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin called the book, “Hilarious, honest, and packed with cutting-edge research…”, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Adam Grant wrote, “This book shatters the myth that personality is set in stone. Drawing on state-of-the-art evidence and rich personal experience, Olga Khazan artfully reveals what our traits really are—and how we can adapt them to achieve our goals.”

Olga Khazan has also written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Vox, and other publications. She is a two-time recipient of the International Reporting Project’s Journalism Fellowship and winner of the 2017 National Headliner Award for Magazine Online Writing.

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In this file Olga Khazan and I discussed:

How she got her start at The Atlantic

Why she never got to see her first book in a bookstore

Turning a piece of long-form journalism into a book pitch

Why reducing your neuroticism by even a small amount can improve your life

On crappy first drafts 

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

olgakhazan.com

Olga Khazan - The Atlantic

Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change by Olga Khazan (Amazon)

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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Matt Haig reads an excerpt from The Midnight Library, backed by an original Storybound remix with Robert Wynia, and sound design and arrangement by Jude Brewer.

Robert Wynia is a founding member of the Portland band Floater. Known for their progressive concept albums, Floater is famous for incorporating stylized storytelling. Wynia also releases music under his own name and released his book Night Walks with its own accompanying soundtrack in 2020.

Storybound comes to you from The Podglomerate and Lit Hub Radio. Season 4 is some of their most inspired work yet, so be sure to subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or wherever you tune in.

Matt Haig is the author of 20 books including the #1 bestselling memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, five novels – including How to Stop Time – and several award-winning children’s books. His work has been translated into over 40 languages.

His latest novel is The Midnight Library, a runaway, #1 bestseller and reader favorite of 2020. It was a Goodreads Choice Awards Best Fiction Book of 2020, a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, Amazon, the New York Public Library, among many others.

The New York Times said of the book, "An absorbing ... vision of limitless possibility, of new roads taken, of new lives lived, of a whole different world available to us somehow, somewhere, [perhaps] exactly what’s wanted in these troubled and troubling times.”

Stay calm and write on …

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Show Notes:

How NY Times Bestselling Author Matt Haig Writes

MattHaig.com

The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig (Amazon)

Matt Haig Amazon author page

Matt Haig on Instagram

Matt Haig on Facebook

Matt Haig on Twitter

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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Internationally bestselling author, Matt Haig, spoke with me about how the novelist became an accidental "mental health expert," why writers need resilience, and the process behind The Midnight Library.

"The only reader you're ever going to truly know ... is yourself." – Matt Haig

Matt is the author of 20 books, including the #1 bestselling memoir Reasons to Stay Alive, five novels, including How to Stop Time, and several award-winning children’s books. His work has been translated into over 40 languages.

His latest novel is The Midnight Library, a runaway, #1 bestseller and reader favorite of 2020. It was a Goodreads Choice Awards Best Fiction Book of 2020, a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, Amazon, the New York Public Library, among many others.

The New York Times said of the book, "An absorbing ... vision of limitless possibility, of new roads taken, of new lives lived, of a whole different world available to us somehow, somewhere, [perhaps] exactly what’s wanted in these troubled and troubling times.”

Stay calm and write on …

**Audio excerpted courtesy Penguin Random House Audio from The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, read by Carey Mulligan.

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In this file Matt Haig and I discussed:

His superhero origins and the blog post that became a book

How to write "like no one's watching"

Inconsistent routines and the power of deadlines

Why writers need to surprise themselves

How he got Carey Mulligan to record his audiobook

And more!

Show Notes:

MattHaig.com

The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig (Amazon)

Matt Haig Amazon author page

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

Matt Haig on Instagram

Matt Haig on Facebook

Matt Haig on Twitter

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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Bestselling author and literary agent Betsy Lerner spoke with me about being a “late bloomer,” what 35 years in publishing has taught her, and portraying mental illness in her debut novel SHRED SISTERS.

Betsy Lerner is the author of the popular advice book to writers, The Forest for the Trees, and the memoirs Food and Loathing and The Bridge Ladies. With Temple Grandin, she is the also co-author of the New York Times bestseller Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns and Abstractions.

Her debut novel, Shred Sisters, is described as “... an intimate and bittersweet story exploring the fierce complexities of sisterhood, mental health, loss and love.” The book was longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, a New York Times Notable Book of 2024, and a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice and Best Book of the Year So Far, among many other accolades.

Betsy received an MFA from Columbia University in Poetry and was selected as one of PEN’s Emerging Writers. She also received the Tony Godwin Publishing Prize for Editors. After working as an editor for 15 years, she became an agent and is currently a partner with Dunow, Carlson and Lerner Literary Agency.

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In this file Betsy Lerner and I discussed:

Getting kicked out of film school

How "No Bad Dogs" inspired her to write The Forest for the Trees about writer personalities

Working with punk rock icon Patti Smith

The secrets behind her writing process

Why she wants to have dinner with filmmaker Greta Gerwig

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

betsylerner.com

Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency

Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner (Amazon)

The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner (Amazon)

Betsy Lerner Amazon Author Page

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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#1 New York Times bestselling novelist and screenwriter, Ernest Cline, spoke to me about what inspired him to become a novelist, the success of Ready Player One, and his love letter to Austin, Texas, the mostly true tall tale BRIDGE TO BAT CITY.

Ernest Cline is the bestselling author of Ready Player One, Ready Player Two, and Armada,  and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg.

His debut middle-grade novel, BRIDGE TO BAT CITY (on sale 4/9/24; ages 8 & up), is described as “... a mostly true tall tale about a recently orphaned girl and her mission to help a family of displaced bats find a new home under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas.”

His books have been published in over fifty countries and have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list.

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In Part Two of this file Ernest Cline and I discussed:

The crazy story behind Stephen King’s Misery

What it was like waiting for a call from Stephen Spielberg

How the author got to see his fiction turned into reality

Making the transition from adult sci-fi to middle grade novels

His shout outs to ET, Roald Dahl, Charles Portis

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ernest Cline Writes: Part One

Bridge to Bat City by Ernest Cline (Amazon)

Ernest Cline Amazon Author Page

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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#1 New York Times bestselling novelist and screenwriter, Ernest Cline, spoke to me about what inspired him to become a novelist, the success of Ready Player One, and his love letter to Austin, Texas, the mostly true tall tale BRIDGE TO BAT CITY.

Ernest Cline is the bestselling author of Ready Player One, Ready Player Two, and Armada, and co-screenwriter of the film adaptation of Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg.

His debut middle-grade novel, BRIDGE TO BAT CITY, is described as “... a mostly true tall tale about a recently orphaned girl and her mission to help a family of displaced bats find a new home under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas.”

His books have been published in over fifty countries and have spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times bestsellers list.

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In Part One of this file Ernest Cline and I discussed:

The signposts on the road to becoming a writer

His change of fortune (and opinion) as a screenwriter

The big idea behind Ready Player One 

Why 90% of Stephen King’s protagonists are school teachers or writers

And a lot more!

Show Notes:

How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Ernest Cline Writes: Part Two

Bridge to Bat City by Ernest Cline (Amazon)

Ernest Cline Amazon Author Page

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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