Ingrid Rojas Contreras' best-selling debut novel, Fruit of the Drunken Tree, is a beautiful and tragic coming-of-age story set in Pablo Escobar's Colombia. Based on her own experiences, the book takes readers into the violent world of drug lords, guerillas, kidnappings and car bombs, all told through the eyes of two girls from different backgrounds. On the podcast, Ingrid talks about the real-life inspirations for the book, the decade-long process of writing it, and what she learned along the way.

John Sides is the author of the new book, Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and The Battle for the Meaning of America. He's also editor-in-chief of The Monkey Cage for the Washington Post. When John's not writing, he's teaching political science at George Washington University. On the pod, John talks about what the 2016 election can teach us about 2018. He also offers tips and tricks for aspiring political writers. Visit my website at writeaboutnowmedia.com

Jeff Pearlman is the author of eight best-selling books. His latest, Football for a Buck, chronicles "the crazy rise and crazier demise" of the USFL. A former Sports Illustrated senior writer and ESPN.com columnist, Pearlman contributes to Bleacher Report, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN.com. He also co-hosts the Two Writers Slinging Yang podcast and is a self-diagnosed "Twitter addict." For more information on Jeff and my other guests, visit: writeaboutnowmedia.com

On this bonus, Masterclass episode of Write About Now, I speak with Brandon Gaille, owner of TheBlogMillionaire.com, about his secret to going from zero to 1 million monthly visits in 18 months. It wasn't a fluke or a stroke of luck. Brandon spent six months studying the most successful blogs, eventually cracking the code on how to write blog posts that get significant traffic and revenue. His system takes a little bit of legwork but is well worth the ROI.

Chelsea Cox writes, produces, and hosts a popular podcast called 'Deliberations', a scripted and improvised audio drama which invites listeners to step inside a jury room. Think Twelve Angry Men, only there are 6 jurors, they're not all men, and they're not all angry. On this episode of Write About Now, Chelsea talks about the process of writing the show, why she thinks fiction is more powerful than reality, and her strategy for podcasting success. To learn more, go to writeaboutmedia.com.

How does a magazine named 'Good Housekeeping' stay relevant? Jane Francisco. That's how. As GH's editor in chief and director of Hearst Magazine's Lifestyle Group, Jane has transformed a legacy brand and thoroughly modernized it. She even found a way to make domesticity cool again. On the podcast, she takes us through her early days in Canada making magazines from scratch to eventually helming one of Hearst Magazine's flagship titles. She also shares invaluable lessons and advice for writers and editors.

Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, author and podcast host. Since 1998, she has fought tirelessly for the release of her friend Adnan Syed, who sits in Maryland prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hai Lee. The story was immortalized on season one of the ultra-popular true crime podcast, Serial. On my equally popular podcast, I talk to Rabia about her book Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial -- as well as the latest news from the case.

Carlos Kotkin has won countless open-mic storytelling competitions for The Moth -- a series of events (and a popular podcast) in which contestants tell stories without notes in cafes and clubs. When Carlos isn't telling stories, he's writing them. He's the author of Please God Let It Be Herpes, which chronicles his horrible dating experiences. He's also a screenwriter, whose credits include Rio 2 and The Star.

What's it like to run the magazine of an American icon? On this episode of Write About Now, Lucy Kaylin talks about both working with the real-life Oprah and channeling her inner Oprah to produce the award-winning O: The Oprah Magazine. Kaylin also takes us through her editorial origin story, which began as a fact checker at Vogue, blossomed as a writer at GQ, and evolved into big-time editing positions at Marie Claire and now O.

Sam Hollander can make your hands clap. Over the past few decades. he's written over 20 Top 40 hit songs for artists such as One Direction, Katy Perry, Fitz and the Tantrums, Train, Carol King, and Weezer. His most recent record with Panic! At the Disco, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. On this episode of Write About Now, Hollander breaks down how pop songs are created in 2018, and what his role is as the lyricist/top liner.