Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authors

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and JP Rindfleisch as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about OpenAI, Microsoft, KDP, and a publishing scam. Then, stick around for a chat with Nicolina Torres!

Prior to her work as a writer, Nicolina Torres was a manager for Barnes & Noble for 15 years, in seven stores, and represented B&N on Channel 2’s Living Dayton Show for two years. She was a D.J. for 88.3FM WAIF for two seasons. Nikki’s thriller This Red Fire was a 2017 Launch Pad Manuscript Competition Top 10 pick, and her dystopian novel, Young Nation, received an honorable mention in the same contest.​ Her short story “Aunt Dorothy in the Canoe” was published in the Deception Anthology. In 2025, Night of the Mallrats was sold at auction to HarperCollins imprint Harper Perennial. She has had multiple books and short stories optioned for film by companies such as Vuelta Group, Stampede Ventures, Exile Content Studio, Sony, and EMJAG Productions. Nikki was a mentor for the 2021 Tracking Board Launch Pad Prose Competition. She is represented by Kiana Nguyen at Donald Maass Literary Agency and book-to-film agent Katrina Escudero. She is first generation American on her father’s side—her paternal family lives in Santiago, Chile. When not reading or writing, she’s watching bad vintage horror movies and cooking comfort food. She lives out in farm country and is “Aunt Nini” to her young niblings.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and JP Rindfleisch as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about the 2026 Emmys, AI fears, and a dating app for book lovers. Then, stick around for a chat with Jessica Brody!

Jessica Brody is the author of more than 20 novels for teens, tweens, and adults including How to Write a Murder, The Geography of Lost Things, The Chaos of Standing Still, Amelia Gray is Almost Okay, and the System Divine trilogy. She’s also the author of the #1 bestselling Save the Cat! Writes a Novel plotting guides and her latest guide for writers, Page One to Done as well as the founder of the Writing Mastery Academy, dedicated to helping fiction writers get unstuck and finish their novels. Her books have been translated and published in over 20 languages and several have been optioned for film and television. She lives with her husband and dogs near Portland, OR.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Authors Guild, Anthropic, literary video games, and Simon & Schuster. Then, stick around for a chat with Nicholas Russell!

Nicholas Russell: I’m a writer and editor from Las Vegas. My work has been featured in The Believer, McSweeney’s, The Yale Review, Reverse Shot,The Point, The Baffler, The Nation, and Dirt, among other publications. I’ve attended Short Fiction workshops at VQR and Tin House, as well as the Critics Academy for the New York Film Festival and the Press Inclusion Initiative at the Sundance Film Festival. I’ve also received support from MacDowell and the Nes Artist Residency. I’m a contributing writer at Defector (formerly at Gawker 2.0), managing editor at Still Alive Magazine, and a bookseller at The Writer’s Block. My debut novel Observer is out on September 15, 2026. 

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about murder, library eBook lending, and Bookshop.org. Then, stick around for a chat with Danielle McKechnie!

Danielle McKechnie: After studying at Circle in the Square Theatre School, Danielle McKechnie moved to Los Angeles and transitioned to a behind-the-scenes role in production, development, and writing across film, television, traditional radio, and live entertainment. As an author and creative producer, she now lives in her hometown of Vancouver with her husband and two daughters.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Dolly Parton, copyrights, and HarperCollins. Then, stick around for a chat with Lisa Gardner!

Lisa Gardner, a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist, began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide) and has made personal appearances on TruTV and CNN. Lisa lives in New Hampshire where she spends her time with an assortment of canine companions. When not writing, she loves to hike, garden, snowshoe and play cribbage.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Ingram, Sourcebooks, and a new book event platform. Then, stick around for a chat with J.T. Ellison!

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels of psychological suspense, including the Taylor Jackson series, the Samantha Owens series, and numerous acclaimed standalones. She is the Emmy Award–winning cohost of A Word on Words, the literary television series on PBS. Over a twenty-year career, her work has earned widespread critical recognition, with titles optioned for television and published in thirty countries, and millions of copies in print worldwide. A dedicated voice in the writing community, she also publishes The Creative Edge, a newsletter and blog for writers navigating the craft and business of fiction. She lives with her husband and twin kittens—one of whom is a ghost—in Nashville, Tennessee. 

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Anthropic's Claude, David Ellison, and authors selling straight to readers. Then, stick around for a chat with Alexandra Bracken!

Alexandra Bracken was born in Phoenix, Arizona. The daughter of a Star Wars collector, she grew up going to an endless string of Star Wars conventions and toy fairs, which helped spark her imagination and a deep love of reading. After graduating high school, she attended The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where she double majored in English and History. She sold her first book, Brightly Woven, as a senior in college, and later moved to New York City to work in children's book publishing, first as an editorial assistant, then in marketing. After six years, she took the plunge and decided to write full time. She now lives in Arizona with her tiny pup, Tennyson, in a house that's constantly overflowing with books. Alex is a #1 New York Times, USA TODAY, and internationally bestselling author. Her work has been adapted for feature film and is available across the world in over 20 languages.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and the collapse of a $2m crime novel. Then, stick around for a chat with Lisa Roe!

Lisa Roe: After graduating from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and spending many years as an advertising creative director and copywriter in New York City, Lisa Roe accepted the tougher job of stay-at-home mom and turned to writing fiction — mostly to entertain her kids, but then to tell her own stories. A classic first born, a reluctant empty nester, and a Dr. Doolittle wannabe, Lisa lives in New Jersey with her husband and three incorrigible dogs. She is the author of WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD and BIG & LILY.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about the 'Crave' copyright suit, Pangram, and agent business models. Then, stick around for a chat with Josh Winning!

Josh Winning writes popcorn fantasy and horror novels that are full of heart, hope and humour, with a love for 80s movie puppets, 90s slasher flicks and gay Final Girls. He identifies as queer, and believes in the power of positive representation. After growing up in a small Suffolk town and struggling to find LGBTQIA+ characters to relate to, he now writes books filled with queer joy. Josh has worked as a film journalist for Radio Times and Total Film, interviewing the likes of Miss Piggy and Goldie Hawn, and he is co-host of the Charmed Chat podcast. His books include The Shadow Glass, Burn the Negative (which was long-listed for a Bram Stoker Award), Heads Will Roll, Be Still My Unbeating Heart and spooky children's adventure How to Train Your Zombie. He lives in East Anglia with his partner and their talking cat Penny.

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Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Anthropic, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Jane Yolen. Then, stick around for a chat with John Dingle!

R. John Dingle lives and writes from a restored 200 year-old house, on a small island in Mid-Coast Maine. The often-haunting themes of the rocky coast, as well as a lifetime of experiences in and around New England’s small towns, farms, and cities, provide excellent inspiration for the tones and moods reflected in Dingle’s mysteries and psychological thrillers. He is the author of the critically acclaimed and multi-award nominated Gus Wheeler FBI Thriller series, which includes Karma Never Sleeps, Wings of Madness, and Before the Devil Knows.

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