Co-host Kristin Swenson's got a new book out! And Meredith's on the spot with questions and thoughts of her own in this lively discussion between the two of them. They catch up on novels-in-progress and talk about how it's been releasing A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible (Oxford UP).

Kristin and Meredith start off the new year talking about writing residencies, Kristin's new book and interview YA and literary fiction author Kristen-Paige Madonia. Kristen-Paige is the author of Invisible Fault Lines and Fingerprints of You.

Meredith and Kristin talk manuscript evolution, first draft and beyond. Robin Farmer relates her writer's journey through journalism, screenwriting, and writing residencies, and discusses her (whoohoo!) debut novel MALCOLM AND ME, staring down the "woke police," and telling it true.

Kristin shares exciting writing news, and we talk to E.A. Aymar about his new thriller, They're Gone, coming out in November under the name E.A. Barres. Meredith met E.A. at the first DC Noir at the Bar (which he organizes). They discuss thrillers, writing from a multicultural perspective, pseudonyms, and the benefits of writing short fiction and articles in between publishing books.

Meredith and Kristin visit with Newbery Medal winner Meg Medina about the racy tales of Meg's abuela, "the queen" of her family's unofficial historistas (storytellers), Meg's personal road to becoming an award-winning author, and the incalculable resource of a good librarian. A couple lucky listener/subscribers will receive free copies of the fresh-off-the-press anthology The Talk: Conversations about Race, Love & Truth , to which Meg contributed a chapter. 

Kristin and Meredith talk about how torturing your characters is a must if you want to write a compelling novel. They also chat with Kellye Garrett, who shares her early love of cozies (and why representation matters), gives the origin story for Crime Writers of Color, and talks about how #pitchwars helped launch her career (and the careers of many other writers). Plus, she talks about her newest book and how she got her idea for it.

Kristin and Meredith talk about writing in the middle of political unrest and tragedy, and talk to Sharon Harrigan. Sharon's debut novel HALF comes out June 9. She talks about writing poetry, memoir and now fiction, her path to becoming a writer, and what it was like write from the point of view of a first-person plural narrator.

Kristin and Meredith talk with Lulu Miller about her new non-fiction book WHY FISH DON'T EXIST, about the power (and limits) of words, and how her work in radio (Radiolab and Invisibilia) influenced her project.

Kristin and Meredith talk about writing during a pandemic on this episode, and whether anyone is able to concentrate on their creative endeavors these dark days. They discuss tricks they use to jumpstart their rewrites, whether or not anyone will want to read a COVID-19 novel someday, and how important art is for all those quarantined inside their homes.

Meredith Cole interviews Clifford Garstang and Michael Zapata for a virtual version of their scheduled book panel at the Virginia Festival of the Book (canceled for coronavirus): Stories of Displacement: Fiction, Far from Home. They discuss their newest books and how their stories are about displacement, immigration and loss.