Why Authors Write host Mary J. Cronin welcomes Jessica Brilliant Keener to discover why emotional betrayal and broken trust were issues that haunted her while writing Evening Begins the Day. Keener shares how her interest in fractured family relationships, marital infidelity, and the complexity of human motives became the emotional core of this book. Rather than lean on clichés about leaving a relationship or drawing a line, she digs into the complicated reasons people hurt each other deeply, then stay connected for better or worse.

A turning point in writing Evening Becomes the Day was Keener’s discovery of the counting of the Omer, a 49‑day spiritual practice from Jewish tradition that she integrated into lives of all her characters in revising the story. She recounts a moving real-life encounter involving her son and a young man named Nate, whose simple act of generosity led her to discover this ritual of reflection and healing. Keener explains how the counting of the Omer became a “lightweight but profound” framework that unites the novel’s characters, from teenagers to deeply wounded adults, without ever becoming heavy-handed or dogmatic

Mary invites Jessica to open up about her writing process and the strategies she relies on to complete her novels.  Keener’s discipline includes sitting down to write 500 words, five days a week with no excuses. That routine, however, doesn’t prevent period of self-doubt and agonizing decisions to throw out big sections of her manuscript and start over when early drafts go off track.  She wraps up her reflections on authorship with generous, hard-earned advice for writers at every stage of plot development and publication, including the importance of surrounding yourself with people who truly want your work to thrive.

Insights

• Exploring themes of broken trust and betrayal
• Power of a religous ritual in a secular setting
• Wrestling with self-doubt and permission to "make a mess" on the page
• Writing routine and process

Chapters

• 00:00 Exploring Broken Trust and Betrayal
• 05:28 Writing Routine and Process
• 12:58 Transition to Book Promotion

Would you sell your house and spend 18 months living out of your car to make yout road trip story authentic?  That’s what bestselling author M.L Rio did to write her blistering rock‑and‑roll novel "Hot Wax."

In this episode of Why Authors Write, host Mary J. Cronin sits down with Rio to unpack the wild, 10‑year journey that brought Hot Wax to readers everywhere.

Beyond this novel’s compelling origin story, Mary and M.L. dig into the stubbornness it takes to keep on writing in the face of rejection, falling in love with the story you are meant to tell, and the techniques that work to get a road trip novel over the finish line.

Rio begins with brutal honesty about confronting the unforgiving nature of the publishing industry when first novels don’t achieve sales projections. She sold her debut novel, *If We Were Villains,” in her early 20s with every reason to think her next book would follow quickly.  Then came the shock; almost no one bought this story about a troupe of Shakespearean actors in the UK. After a trickle of dismal sales, her publisher lost interest, and the offers for her next book project evaporated.  Rio looks back and remembers absorbing the idea that her writing career was likely over.  She returned to academia, earning a doctorate in literature and kept on writing in the margins of a life built around scholarship and survival.

Then, in a fiction-worthy twist of fate, during the pandemic Rio’s first book became a viral sensation on TikTok, and sales surged. Suddenly, Rio’s debut novel was an international phenomenon and she was back in demand as publishers reached out to ask about her work in progress.

Rio insisted her next book had to be Hot Wax: a propulsive, emotionally charged story of a mid‑list band clawing its way across an American landscape of dive bars, bad gigs, and fraught relationships. That’s when she decided to live her fictional band’s story, driving from city to city, visiting second-rate music venues, smoky bars, and greasy spoons. She calls herself a “method writer” meaning that she is someone who needs to get as close as possible to the world she’s building on the page.

That risky decision to spend so much time on the road, followed by years of revision, rethinking, and rewriting almost derailed her second book.  After 10 years in the making, publisher interest had turned elsewhere and she faced an agonizing wait for a contract. 

Rio’s advice to young writers and aspiring authors of all ages is two-fold:

First, “don’t rush into publication.”  Worthwhile writing requires authenticity, conviction, and willingness to keep revising until you get it right.  Great fiction is hard - -and she believes that’s how it should be.

Second, as a novelist who has learned plenty about the challenges of getting into print and the need to sell books as well as create them, Rio urges every author to spend time learning how the publishing industry actually works.  Its advice born of early success, flame-out, and a hard-earned comeback.  

Insights and HIghlights

• Debut authors can come back from early rejection to find a loyal audience
• Writing takes time and should not be rushed
• Be authentic; write what you believe
• Understanding the publishing industry is crucial for success and long-term survival as an author

Chapters

• 00:00 The Wild 10 Year Path to Writing and Publishing Hot Wax

What convinces a lifelong entrepreneur and venture investor to pivot from business success to become a full time mystery writer?

In this episode of Why Authors Write, Christopher Mirabile tells Mary J. Cronin what inspired him to create Silas Lopez as a quirky and deeply decent outsider detective hero in “The Washashore.”  Mirabile opens up about applying his entrepreneur’s mindset to a career pivot into full-time fiction writing, his decision to launch a new mystery series set in Provincetown and Cape Cod, and how falling in love with his book’s main characters is an unexpected bonus.

Takeaways

• Career Pivot: Christopher transitioned from a successful career as an investor to a full-time author, driven by a desire to write fiction and explore new creative endeavors.
• Writing Process: Christopher's writing process involves meticulous editing, dialogue-driven storytelling, and the development of characters and plot arcs over multiple books.

Chapters

• 00:00 Writing Process and Character Development
• 13:32 Lessons Learned and Future Plans
• 19:40 Book Promotion and Writing Business

Chloe Michelle Howarth, author of 'Heap Earth Upon It,' discusses drawing her inspiration from the Irish countryside, the process of researching historical settings, crafting multiple character perspectives, and exploring the theme of obsession in her latest book. The conversation delves into the creative process, sibling dynamics, and upcoming projects, offering insights into the author's writing journey.

In this episode of Why Authors Write host Sara Stanton explores how bestselling novelist Chloe Michelle Howarth deals with the theme of obsession in “Heap Earth Upon It.”  Set in a fictional rural Irish town in 1965, the novel follows the O’Leary siblings—Tom, Anna, Jack, and Peggy—as they arrive in Ballycray seeking a new beginning, only to find that old secrets and dangerous fixations don’t stay buried for long.

Drawing from her upbringing in West Cork, Chloe anchors her characters in the drizzly winters, eerie quiet, and isolated landscapes of rural Ireland to create the perfect backdrop for a gothic tale steeped in sapphic obsession, family tension, and identity. She and Sara dig into the craft of telling a story about obsession from multiple points of view, with each character completely convinced that their version of events is the core truth. 

Chloe and Sara explore why 1960s Ireland—especially rural Ireland—was the right era for this novel. Far from the image of the swinging ’60s, Chloe points out that Irish social change and counterculture arrived much later. She wanted to place a queer protagonist in a time and place with no language, references, or community for her queerness, forcing that self‑discovery to happen in a near vacuum. To pull this off, Chloe relied heavily on the RTÉ archives, immersing herself in contemporary radio and television to capture what people were hearing, gossiping about, and angered by in that exact moment.

Craft-wise, the novel is told through four distinct points of view—Tom, Anna, Jack, and Betty—and Chloe was determined that each voice feel truly separate. She even wrote each character in a different color ink to remind herself “drop into” their perspective, ensuring they didn’t all sound like variations of her own voice. The complexity of aligning their timelines, secrets, and emotional arcs was, she admits, a major editorial challenge—but also one of the most satisfying parts of making the book.

Chloe owns up to enjoying centering her book on obsession and delving into the dysfunctional sibling relationships that sharpen into crisis in the course of her book.  “These characters are obsessive people, and they’re like that from the start… the brothers get away with it because their obsessions are more socially acceptable, even when their behavior is just as extreme.”

Takeaways

• Setting as Inspiration
• Researching Historical Settings
• Gothic storytelling
• Sibling dynamics and perspectives on obsession

Chapters

• 00:00 Exploring the Theme of Obsession

Kristie Dickinson welcomes bestselling novelist and book coach Lori Gold to Why Authors Write to unpack the making of her twisty new novel, “Kiss, Marry, Kill.”  Lori shares her struggle to wrangle three POVs, multiple timelines, and parallel realities into a complex but readable story, and why she had to revise the plot again and again.  The episode also dives into the realities of a working writer’s life: why most authors need multiple income streams, the truth about advances, and Lori’s best advice on query letters, comps, and building a sustainable literary career.  For aspiring writers and readers who are curious about how bestselling authors navigate everything from revisions to negotiations with publishers, this episode has the answers.   

The novel follows three lifelong friends who co‑found a wellness app company and, after playing a game of Kiss, Marry, Kill at a company retreat, wake up in an alternate universe where their game choices may have come true; or maybe not quite true.

Lori talks about the spark of inspiration for the book’s central story that came from a short‑lived TV show, and her determination to push the idea into a more high-concept book based on her love of Sliding Doors, Palm Springs, and grounded speculative fiction. She talks candidly about the need for heavy revision, walking away from early, over‑complicated drafts, and why she believes that even if experience and writing practice doesn’t make perfect, it gives writers confidence to make radical changes on the way to a final draft.  

This episode is a deep, generous conversation about craft, career, and the very real challenges of writing speculative fiction. Listeners get an inside look at how an initially over‑complicated plot was pared down so the emotional core—and the twists—could really land.

Character building is where Lori feels most at home, and she breaks down how each of the three friends emerged as a different facet of choice in Kiss, Marry, Kill:

- one who charges ahead and chooses selfishly,

- one who sees the world in rigid right vs. wrong,

- and one paralyzed by indecision and fear of choosing

Lori offers us a rich blend of craft wisdom, publishing industry realityies, and creative encouragement—especially for writers wrestling with big concepts, bigger doubts, and the question of how to build a career in writing.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Origin of Kiss Marry Kill
• 05:59 Wrangling Multiple POV and Timelines
• 12:02 The Art of Query Letters
• 23:04 Making a Living as a Full Time Writer

How does it feel when the story you wrote a decade ago anchors your award-winning book and becomes an acclaimed feature film? In this episode of Why Authors Write, host Mary Cronin talks with author and now screenwriter Ben Shattuck about living that dream with The History of Sound.

Ben reveals how the carefully paired stories in The History of Sound speak to each other across centuries, linked by themes, houses, landscapes, and artifacts. From Edwin Chase of Nantucket and Silver Clip to the chilling duo August in the Forest and The Journal of Thomas Thurber, he explains how each story pair offers an ending—or a deeper meaning—to the other.

Moving from authoring stories to screenwriting as “architectural plans for a hallucination,” Ben talks about the humbling, exhilarating experience of walking onto the movie set of The History of Sound and hearing actors Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor speak lines that once lived only in his imagination.

Reflecting on his early work, Ben offers surprising and reassuring advice.  He urges younger writers not to rush to publish, noting how life experience is an essential compost that enriches fiction. He also emphasizes the essential discipline of simply showing up to write every day, and why, paradoxically, “letting time pass is the greatest shortcut.”

Whether you’re a reader, a writer, or simply curious about how stories move from idea to page to screen, this episode offers an intimate, generous look at how one author thinks about time, structure, and the evolving pleasures of a deeply creative life.

Chapters

• 00:00 The History of Sound: Structure and Inspiration
• 13:30 Screenwriting As Blueprints for a Film
• 27:08 Don't Rush to Publish: Experience as Creative Compost

Why did Julie Dobrow spend decades researching the tragic  love story at the center of her dual biography, Love and Loss After Wounded Knee?  In this episode of Why Authors Write, Julie reveals her obsession with the forgotten life of New England writer Elaine Goodale, who turned her back on fame as a teen poet, moved west, and married Lakota-born Charles Eastman right after the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre.  Dobrow acknowledges the challenge of understanding the dynamics of a failed interracial  marriage that endured relentless public scrutiny, and what it cost Elaine to pour her talent into her husband’s literary legacy instead of her own. 

Julie begins by taking us back to her own origin story as a biographer. As a 21‑year‑old college student working a summer job at Smith College she helped to process the Goodale–Eastman–Dayton family papers. Among the crumbling letters, curling photographs, and yellowed clippings, one narrative “leapt off the pages and grabbed” her: the improbable, cross‑cultural love story of Goodale and Eastman.

Throughout, Julie reflects honestly on the difficulty writing about such complex and controversial characters: falling in and out of love with one’s subjects, and grappling with archival gaps—including the fact that Elaine deliberately destroyed most of the documentation of her marriage.   Julie also shares how her long journey to get inside the motivations and marriage of Elaine and Charles transformed her own understanding of the limits of historical research in bringing a gripping story of love, loss, and bitter disillusionment to life on the page.

Don't miss this episode if you have ever wondered what motivates biographers to devote years to researching their subjects, and what it takes to do justice to complicated, imperfect love stories in the full context of American history.

Chapters

00:00 The Power of Love in History
07:34 Elaine Goodale: A Trailblazer's Journey
13:18 Love and Loss: The Impact of Wounded Knee
19:41 The Struggles of a Writer and Mother
24:58 Reflections on Legacy and Identity

In this episode of Why Authors Write, Mary Cronin talks with historical novelist Virginia Pye about why she likes to write about private lives and intimate relationships pressured by public upheaval and change.  Virginia shares her secrets for completing complex storylines, and talks about how she transformed decades of publisher rejection into a series of bestselling books.

The conversation moves from the appeal of historical settings and portraying memorable characters surviving in times of crisis  to heartfelt, real-life advice about organizing complex storylines, wrestling with rejection, and wondering how to transform an unpublished manuscript into your first blockbuster book.

Here’s what we cover:

• The real-life events in Richmond, Virginia, in the summer of 2020—protests after the murder of George Floyd and the removal of Confederate monuments—that inspired  her latest novel, Marriage and Other Monuments.
• Virginia's advice that novelists should research by curiosity, not perfectionism, and avoid getting lost in historical “rabbit holes.”
• The long road from “aspiring writer” to multi-book author: five unpublished novels completed before her debut best seller finally arriving
• How she “fillets” her unpublished novels—reusing characters, relationships, and scenes from earlier manuscripts to create stronger new books.
• Why she now feels she can relax into her identity as an author, write and revise with joy, and meet readers and fellow writers without feeling she has something to prove.
• Encouraging, candid advice for writers with “books in the drawer” about
  • assuming you have more than one book in you,
  • maintaining self-respect in a tough marketplace,
  • embracing small presses and literary communities, and
  • staying connected to the joy of the work itself.

Two Big Insights

• Historical settings provide a rich backdrop for exploring societal change and its impact on relationships.
• Persistence and evolution are key aspects of a writer's journey, leading to growth and success.

Chapters

• 00:00 Exploring Historical Settings
• 06:17 The Writing Process and Inspiration
• 15:34 Character-Driven Plot Development
• 22:04 Completion and Publication of a Book

Why do some stories fit perfectly into 15 pages, while others insist on becoming novels? In this episode of Why Authors Write, bestselling author Daphne Kalotay pulls back the curtain on deciding when an idea demands a novel, and when a short story is the perfect fit.

Daphne traces her path from writing early short stories to expansive, multi‑timeline novels like Russian Winter, and explains how she now “sees” an idea and knows whether it belongs in 20 pages or 400. She describes the elements that will likely require a full-length novel; complex subplots, a wide cast of characters, and threads that demand more space.  In the next sentence, Kalotay emphasizes the compressed power of short stories, where a single line of dialogue or a brief exchange can unlock an entire character.  Satisfyingly, she shares her hard-won experience and advice on what it takes to master both genres and writing styles.

We also delve into her latest short story collection, The Archivist, highlighting the stories and characters she feels closest to. Daphne unpacks the deeply personal family story that inspired a feisty, 99‑year‑old Hungarian protagonist modeled on her grandmother in the opening story, and talks about why she added the last‑minute, first‑person piece “A Guide to Lesser Divinities,” with its brash, funny narrator, as a nod to Grace Paley and to the rich possibilities of voice in short fiction.

Taking a step back from her published work to the challenges of completing a novel, Daphne opens up about the doubt that still overtakes her midway through completing a new book.  She describes the feeling of being lost in a tangle of timelines, places, and plot threads, or realizing a book has veered away from her original vision. Besides reassuring new authors that this is a normal phase, she talks about the practical toolkit she uses to find her way back, from creating retrospective outlines and using Scrivener to “see” what she’s already built, to treating the book like a jigsaw puzzle she can rearrange. Just as importantly, she shares the psychological strategies that keep her going: reminding herself she’s navigated this dark middle before and finished three complex novels, and holding in mind the readers who are waiting for the next book and whose emails give her the resolve to press on.

Whether you’re an aspiring writer, a short story fan, or simply curious about how long narratives and short stories take shape, this conversation offers an honest, generous look at the creative process behind both short stories and novels—and why experienced, best-selling authors often alternate between these two genres.  Find out how  Kalotay powers through the low points when doubts overtake her, and persists in writing her way to the final word.

Daphne Kalotay’s experience, mastery of both the short story and the novel formats, and her advice to authors at all stages of their publishing journey provide fascinating insights into the creative process along with practical techniques for authors navigating between different genres and storytelling formats.

Highlights and Insights

• Deciding when an idea will be the perfect fit for a short story vs a novel
• Character development and powerful turning points in short stories
• The swampy middle; how Daphne overcomes her mind-novel doubts
• Learning to love the revision stage of writing
• Advice for aspiring writers -  Advocate for your book every day!

Chapters

• 00:00 Exploring Different Genres
• 08:05 Creating Unforgettable Characters
• 19:07 Overcoming Doubts and Embracing Revisions

In this episode of Why Authors Write, Mary J Cronin sits down with best-selling maritime historian Eric Jay Dolin to explore the larger-than-life shipwreck and survival story that inspired “Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery and Survival at the Edge of the World.” Set against the backdrop of the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812, Dolin's book follows Captain Charles Barnard of the American sealing vessel Nanina, who is betrayed and marooned — twice — by the survivors he knows best.

We learn how rapidly civilization gives way to survival at all costs when a ship captain saves fifty stranded British castaways — only to have his vessel seized as a war prize and his crew taken prisoner.  In drawing back the curtain on a shocking historical episode, Dolin’s book raises questions about human nature, and how far hardened, shipwrecked men will go to stay alive.  He skillfully rachets up the tension in this story of betrayal, improbable survivals, and one very good dog hanging on at the edge of the world.

Dolin opens up about what drew him to this long-forgotten story as he reflects on the allure of bringing an incredible series of disasters to life.  He talks about the challenges of chronicling a cast of flawed, morally compromised people caught up in a historical moment.  

What does it mean when the story’s questionable heroes and darkest villains make their way home from unimaginable disasters, resume their normal lives, and are quickly forgotten?  From the thin line between obscurity and historical legacy, to retaining one's moral compass in the struggle for survival, Dolin explains his commitment to presenting just the facts when recounting despicable behavior and misguided heroics, so that his readers can judge history through their own lens.

Chapters

• 00:00 Dolin’s affinity for forgotten histories and maritime disasters
• 09:12   Staying true to the facts of unsavory characters and unforgivable acts
• 15:55   Attractions of bringing forgotten episodes to life
• 24:08 Making a living as a nonfiction writer – rewards and challenges