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

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Kindle Vella, Penguin Random House, and midnight release parties. Then, stick around for a chat with J.T. Ellison!

Check It Out!

J.T. Ellison: https://www.jtellison.com/

A Very Bad Thing: https://a.co/d/a5w8ldv

Kindle Vella Closure Announcement - https://medium.com/staring-at-a-blank-page/kindle-vella-announces-its-closure-f73517448a9f

Penguin Random House books now explicitly say ‘no’ to AI training - https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/18/24273895/penguin-random-house-books-copyright-ai

Solid Support for Giant Reports - https://www.getbookreport.com/blog/solid-support-for-giant-reports

Literary Publishers Embrace the Midnight Release Party - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/96312-literary-publishers-embrace-the-midnight-release-party.html

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, Jena Brown, and James Blatch as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Spotify, John Grisham, and Kindle. Then, stick around for a chat with Nick Cutter!

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and James Blatch as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including: "James Patterson Plans to Take on Hollywood, and Cable News, on Substack," "An Actual Taylor Swift Book Due November 29 As A Target Exclusive," and "TikTok’s Owner Already Publishes Digital Books. Now It’s Moving Into Print." Then, stick around for a chat with Andrew Child!

Andrew Grant was born in Birmingham, England in May 1968. He went to school in St Albans, Hertfordshire and later attended the University of Sheffield where he studied English Literature and Drama. After graduation Andrew set up and ran a small independent theatre company which showcased a range of original material to local, regional and national audiences. Following a critically successful but financially challenging appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Andrew moved into the telecommunications industry as a ‘temporary’ solution to a short-term cash crisis. Fifteen years later, after carrying out a variety of roles – including a number which were covered by the UK Official Secrets Act – Andrew escaped from corporate life, and established himself as the author of the critically-acclaimed novels Even, Die Twice, More Harm Than Good, RUN, False Positive, False Friend, False Witness, Invisible, and Too Close To Home. Andrew is married to novelist Tasha Alexander, and lives on a wildlife preserve in Wyoming, USA.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including: How Hollywood Is Battling Fans Who Are ‘Just Out for Blood’, Authors Guild to Promote Created by Humans, Hardcover Joins The “We Aren’t Goodreads” Rank. Then, stick around for a chat with Kate Christensen!

Kate Christensen - The Arizona Triangle comes out on 10/22 from HarperCollins under the pseudonym Sydney Graves. This is the first book of a projected mystery series featuring a private eye named Jo Bailen.

The Sacred and the Divine, the first book of a YA trilogy, co-written with Eliza Wolfe, comes out fall 2025 from Hyperion. 

I’m currently at work on a new novel whose working title is Good Company. 

I live in Taos, New Mexico with my husband and our two dogs.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including how Marvel and DC lost their Super Hero trademark, the elite college students that can't read books, and publishing made perfect. Then, stick around for a chat with Richard Chizmar!

RICHARD CHIZMAR is a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Amazon, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author.

He is the co-author (with Stephen King) of the bestselling novella, Gwendy’s Button Box and the founder/publisher of Cemetery Dance magazine and the Cemetery Dance Publications book imprint. He has edited more than 35 anthologies and his short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, including multiple editions of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustee’s award.

Chizmar (in collaboration with Johnathon Schaech) has also written screenplays and teleplays for United Artists, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, Showtime, NBC, and many other companies. He has adapted the works of many bestselling authors including Stephen King, Peter Straub, and Bentley Little.

Chizmar is also the creator/writer of the online website, Stephen King Revisited. His fourth short story collection, The Long Way Home, was published in 2019. With Brian Freeman, Chizmar is co-editor of the acclaimed Dark Screams horror anthology series published by Random House imprint, Hydra.

His latest book, The Girl on the Porch, was released in hardcover by Subterranean Press, and Widow’s Point, a chilling novella about a haunted lighthouse written with his son, W.H. Chizmar, was recently adapted into a feature film.

Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages throughout the world, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, guest speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.

You can follow Richard Chizmar on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Also check out the Richard Chizmar Fan Page set up by his readers.

Join hosts Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Lauren Sánchez, Honey & Wax, Banned Books Week, and Kindle Vella. Then, stick around for a chat with Michelle Chouinard!

Michelle Chouinard is the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author behind The Serial-Killer Guide to San Francisco (coming soon), The Vacation and the Detective Jo Fournier series (featuring The Dancing Girls, Taken to the Grave, Her Daughter’s Cry, and The Other Mothers).

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including why publishers try skinnier books, how the Authors Guild reached an agreement with TouchPoint Press, and Simon & Schuster Children's new deal. Then, stick around for a chat with John Gaspard!

John Gaspard is author of the Eli Marks mystery series and the Como Lake Players mystery series. He also has several other stand-alone novels, including “The Greyhound of the Baskervilles,” “A Christmas Carl,” “The Sword & Mr. Stone” and “The Ripperologists.”

He hosts two podcasts: "Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast," and "The Occasional Film Podcast."

In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films.

John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including TikTok, Audible's AI voice replica service, and James Blatch's new podcast. Then, stick around for a chat with Taylor Moore!

Taylor Moore - "I’m often asked how I ended up at the CIA, a question to which there are more than a few answers. But what I think people really want to know is what edged a regular guy like me out of the light and into the shadows of the intelligence world: a what makes you tick kind of thing.

It’s a question I can answer in one single phrase—passion for adventure.

This is the same passion that drew me to childhood heroes like Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Jack Ryan. This quest for adventure propelled me on a solo journey at the age of twenty-four through the jungles of Bolivia, over the Andes, and across the raging Drake Passage on a Russian icebreaker to Antarctica.

And it’s the same passion I have now that spurs me to write thriller novels and action-adventure stories.

We may grow up, but we don’t have to give in. No matter our age or what we do, a good passion for adventure never dies. And if you’re like me and you’re searching for the next one, then look no further. You’ve arrived."

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Canva, AI, and The Black List. Then, stick around for a chat with Stella Sands!

Stella Sands is the bestselling author of six true-crime books: Baby-Faced Butchers, The Dating Game Killer, Behind the Mask, Murder at Yale, Wealthy Men Only, and The Good Son. She is also the author of a children’s book, Odyssea, and many educational books, and served as the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning magazine Kids Discover for nineteen years. She has appeared on numerous television shows, including People Magazine Investigates, ABC’s 20/20, and several episodes of Investigation Discovery. Her plays, Lou Passin’ Through, Black-eyed Peas, and E-me, have been produced in Off-Off Broadway theaters in New York City. Sands lives in Sag Harbor, New York.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including Canva, AI, and The Black List. Then, stick around for a chat with Stella Sands!

Stella Sands is the bestselling author of six true-crime books: Baby-Faced Butchers, The Dating Game Killer, Behind the Mask, Murder at Yale, Wealthy Men Only, and The Good Son. She is also the author of a children’s book, Odyssea, and many educational books, and served as the Editor-in-Chief of the award-winning magazine Kids Discover for nineteen years. She has appeared on numerous television shows, including People Magazine Investigates, ABC’s 20/20, and several episodes of Investigation Discovery. Her plays, Lou Passin’ Through, Black-eyed Peas, and E-me, have been produced in Off-Off Broadway theaters in New York City. Sands lives in Sag Harbor, New York.