Tod Goldberg is the author of the new novel, Only Way Out, published by Thomas & Mercer. He’s also the New York Times bestselling author of 16 books including the acclaimed Gangsterland quartet. His short fiction and essays appeared widely and have been selected in Best American Mystery & Suspense and Best American Essays. Tod is a Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside, where he founded and directs the Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts.

 Tod joins Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to talk about writing a multiple point of view novel and how his ensemble of characters came together, setting, backstory, writing dialogue, outlining, word quotas, influences, and more.

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(Recorded on November 28, 2025)

Host: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
Host: Marrie Stone
Music: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)