Writer, Writer, Pants On Fire

Today's guest on the podcast is Tess Gerritsen, whose books have been bestsellers in the United States and abroad. She has won both the Nero Wolfe award and the Rita award. A Retired medical doctor, Tess joined me today to talk about her newest and first Gothic novel, The Shape of Night.

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Links for Tess: 

Website: http://www.tessgerritsen.com/

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Today’s guest is Marie Miranda Cruz, author of Everlasting Nora, an uplifting young reader debut about perseverance against all odds. Marie joined me to day to talk about the difficulty of querying a middle grade novel with complicated and heavy themes. Also covered: writing about tough topics for middle graders as a way to build empathy.

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Links for Marie:

Website: https://cruzwrites.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cruzwrites/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariveecruz/

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When the Truth Unravels by RuthAnne Snow: https://amzn.to/353KSIM

Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon: https://amzn.to/2OmKDlU

Today’s guest is T. Jefferson Parker, the bestselling author of 13 stand alone noir crime novels, as well as three separate series featuring the characters Merci Rayborn, Charlie Hood and his latest, Roland Ford. He joined me today to talk about knowing when it’s time to create a new character, as well as the bittersweetness of leaving an old one behind. Also covered: the importance of setting in fiction, and how to create a place readers want to return to, what has changed in publishing over time, and how to stay invigorated as a writer.

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Links for T. Jefferson Parker: 

Website

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All the Walls of Belfast by Sarah Carlson 

Rachele Alpine Custom Made Teacher’s Guides

Today’s guest is Melissa DeLa Cruz #1 New York Times bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages. With her 50th novel The Birthday Girl releasing earlier this month. Melissa joined me to talk about longevity in publishing, retaining the spark of creativity, and how writers need community.

Links for Melissa:

Website

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Vellum

Today’s guest is Jamie Beth Cohen, author of Wasted Pretty. A writer and storyteller who works in higher education, her non-fiction has appeared in The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, and Teen Vogue. Jamie joined me today to talk about writing tough topics for teens, getting non-fiction pieces published, and the dangers of embracing the myth of the solitary writer, plus how community can help. 

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Links for Jamie:

Website: http://www.jamiebethcohen.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jamie_Beth_S

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamieBethWriter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wastedpretty/

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Wasted Pretty by Jamie Beth Cohen: https://amzn.to/2SqTC5Q 

All the Walls of Belfast by Sarah Carlson: https://amzn.to/2LB1fVH

Today’s guest is J. Ryan Stradal. His first novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, was published by Viking in 2015, and reached the New York Times Hardcover Best Seller list.

His short fiction has appeared in Hobart, The Rumpus, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Review of Books, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Electric Literature, and Midwestern Gothic, among others.

His second novel, The Lager Queen of Minnesota, is available now.

J Ryan joined me today to talk about representation of the Midwest in popular culture, the rising importance of microbreweries in small communities, and the lost stories of the middle class.

Today’s guest is Chelsea Bobulski who graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in history. As a writer, she has a soft spot for characters with broken pasts, strange talents, and obstacles they must overcome for a brighter future. Her debut young adult novel, THE WOOD is available now. Her next release REMEMBER ME releases August 6th.

Chelsea joined me today to talk about querying for five years, the stress of breaking up with her first agent, and the importance of maintaining a polite, professional attitude while in the query trenches, learning how to balance writing the next book against the time investment of marketing your backlist and the key to writing horror, especially for younger audiences.

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Links for Chelsea

Website

Twitter

Instagram

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Wasted Pretty by Jamie Beth Cohen

All the Walls of Belfast by Sarah Carlson

A Map for Wild Hearts: How to Make Art Even When You Are Lost by Andrea Hannah

 Today’s guest is Kelly DeVos whose work on body positivity has been featured in the New York Times as well as on Vulture, Salon, Bustle and SheKnows. Her debut novel, Fat Girl on a Plane, named one of the “50 Best Summer Reads of All Time” by Reader’s Digest magazine, is available now from HarperCollins. Her second book, Day Zero, is coming in 2019 from Inkyard Press/HarperCollins.

Kelly joined me today to talk about the sophomore experience in publishing, the importance of networking, and how NOT to market yourself. Also covered: jumping genres but still remaining true to your author brand.

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Links for Kelly:

Website 

Twitter

Instagram

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Wasted Pretty by Jamie Beth Cohen

The Sin Soldiers by Tracy Auerbach

Today’s guest is Lauren Mechling, who has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, The New Yorker online, and Vogue, where she writes a regular book column. She's worked as a crime reporter and metro columnist for The New York Sun, a young adult novelist, and a features editor at The Wall Street Journal. A graduate of Harvard College, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.

Lauren joined me today to talk about how her own experiences in print media helped form the world of her new novel, How Could She, the complexities of female friendships as a storytelling concept, and how podcasts figure into Lauren’s new novel.

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Links for Lauren:

Website: https://www.laurenmechling.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenmechling

IG: https://www.instagram.com/laurenomics/

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A Map for Wild Hearts: How to Make Art Even When You're Lost by Andrea Hannah

Remember Me by Chelsea Bobulski

Today’s guest is Andrea Hannah, an award-winning author, essayist, and workshop leader. She teaches on living a healthy creative life at her Wild Heart Retreats and writes about making art on Twitter and Instagram (@andeehannah). Andrea joined me today to talk using the same process whether she’s writing fiction or non-fiction, and the constant hustle of being a successful freelancer, how her upcoming release A Map for Wild Hearts, is designed to help creatives find their way through the obstacles blocking their artistic goals, and writing through chronic pain, illness, and depression.

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Links for Andrea:

Website: http://www.andreahannah.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndeeHannah

IG: https://www.instagram.com/andeehannah/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrea.hannah

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Wasted Pretty by Jamie Beth Cohen 

All the Walls of Belfast by Sarah Carlson