If you want to better understand the intersection of politics, religion, and crime in the rural South, Ace Atkins is your roadmap. The author of 24 books, including nine Quinn Colson novels, Atkins just dropped The Shameless, which features Quinn, an ex-Army Ranger in Afghanistan turned sheriff in fictional Tebbehah County, Miss. Ace talks about what he learned as a crime journalist, how he writes such realistic characters and dialogue,  his concern over emboldened racists, and why there's still hope.

Journalist, author, and podcast host Josh Dean has been writing successfully for over two decades. His work has appeared in dozens of publications, including Rolling Stone, New York, and Esquire. He has two books, Show Dogs and The Taking of K-129. And most recently he debuted as host of a new true-crime podcast called The Clearing. We talk about how he's persevered and pivoted to be among the top in the game-- and how you can, too.

Author Riley Sager talks about his creepy new book Lock Every Door, which fuses the thriller, horror, and goth genres. Sager talks about his origin story from struggling writer to best-selling novelist with endorsements from RL Stein and Stephen King. We learn how he gets his ideas, outlines his stories, and pushes through writer's block. Sager also speaks honestly about his insecurities, and why he decided to pivot to writing thrillers and using a pseudonym.

Lauren Mechling joins the show to talk about her highly-anticipated summer novel, How Could She, which explores the complicated relationships between three female friends living in New York City. Other topics include what Lauren learned as an editor at Vogue working under Anna Wintour, the importance of NGAF as a writer, tips on how to end a friendship, and her hilarious Instagram blog on clogs.

Technology has caused massive disruption in the news business, and with it changes in both the way we consume content and the way we write it. Gabriel Kahn, professor at the USC Annenberg School of Communication, gives a masterclass on how the economic model of journalism has changed, and why journalists must either adapt or die. Whether you're an aspiring reporter, a working reporter, or someone who loves to read the news, you'll find his insights into the fourth estate encouraging and eye-opening.

Tiffany Jenkins was a high school honor student, captain of the cheerleading team, and girlfriend of an upstanding cop. Then she discovered drugs and her life spiraled downwards to crime, desperation, lies, and eventually prison. On this episode, she talks about her new memoir High Achiever, her battle with addiction, and how writing helped save her life. Warning: This one's not for the kids.

First Lady Rose Cleveland and socialite Evangeline Simpson Whipple had a love affair that lasted almost 30 years. The mostly unknown story is told beautifully in “Precious and Adored: The Love Letters of Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson Whipple, 1890-1918. On this episode, the book's authors, Lizzie Ehrenhart and Tilly Laskey, join the show to tell this sweet and tragic love tale that still has resonance today, especially during Pride Month and the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.

On the first-ever LIVE edition of Write About Now, I speak to Dean Kuipers, author of "The Deer Camp: A Memoir of a Father, a Family, and the Land that Healed Them." Kuipers speaks candidly about what it was like growing up with an emotionally distant and philandering dad, and how a 100-acre piece of land in Michigan eventually bonded them. A former editor at The Los Angeles Times and Spin magazines, Kuipers has written extensively on radical environmental movements, rock’n’roll, and myriad other topic

Writers are good at finding reasons not to write. My guest Grant Faulkner has heard them all. Faulkner is executive director of National Novel Writing Month and author of "Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo." On the podcast, he addresses some of the most common writing roadblocks, including lack of time, self-doubt, and getting negative feedback, then he offers up some tips and tricks to get over the hump. If you're looking for motivation, listen to this interview.

Tucker Max is a four-time New York Times bestseller and co-founder of Scribe Media, which helps people write and publish non-fiction books. In this fascinating, and somewhat controversial, interview Tucker argues that the scribe method, in which books were dictated not written, was used for thousands of years before typewriters and computers came along. He then takes us through the process of writing a book: How to position it, structure it, write it, edit it, and get it published.