To query or not, again? We had such a great chat with M.D. Payne about the various aspects of publishing, social media, and the elegant passing of wind we couldn't fit it all in one episode.

To query or not? That is the question, among many others, as Russ and Tim welcome their first guest M.D. Payne. Author of the middle grade series Monster Juice and a handful of books in the WHO WAS series including Who Was Duke Ellington.

Beta readers & feedback. Russ and Tim discuss their experiences giving and receiving feedback while making sure no fragile artists are shattered along the way.

The fragile artist and self-doubt. Russ and Tim get sensitive and discuss how they grapple with the creative crippling monster known as self-doubt.

Story beats. Love 'em or hate 'em they're the blueprints of story telling. This episode Russ and Tim traverse the various beats, from start to finish, and share their experience using them in their own works.

Pantsers vs planners. Spreadsheets, beat sheets, edge of seats, oh my! Russ and Tim attempt to find middle ground on whether to plan or not to plan before writing.

Men writing female characters. Russ and Tim tackle this difficult topic and share how they approach writing female characters. TLDL, don't be an a**hole.

Where does a story begin? A character, an idea, an article someone sent you? Stories can begin anywhere, but too often good stories go untold because life impedes the writer's path. Russ and Tim discuss how they got started with their projects and a share few simple tips that helped them stay on track.