Podcasts about indie next

Kaya of the Ocean is a middle-grade fantasy novel by Gloria Lai Huang that explores themes of mental health, the immigrant experience, and self-acceptance. The story follows Kaya, a thirteen-year-old girl who struggles with anxiety and a fear of water, as she discovers her lineage as a descendant of the Chinese water goddess Mazu. This heartfelt adventure combines elements of friendship, humor, and Chinese mythology, set against the backdrop of the beautiful beaches of Hawaii. It has been named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection and chosen by the American Booksellers Association as one of the best debuts on the Winter/Spring 2025 "Indies Introduce" list, as well as a great read on the January 2025 "Kids' Indie Next" list. www.glorialaihuang.com

Gloria L. Huang is a freelance writer whose fiction has appeared in literary journals including Michigan Quarterly Review, The Threepenny Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, Witness Magazine, Massachusetts Review, Pleiades, Southern Humanities Review, Fiction Magazine, North American Review, Arts & Letters, Washington Square Review, The Chattahoochee Review, Gargoyle Magazine, Sycamore Review, and The Antigonish Review. Her debut novel, KAYA OF THE OCEAN has been selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce selection, and Indie Next selection. It is just out from Penguin Random House. Listen in to this episode of The Qwerty Podcast, as she and host Marion Roach Smith discuss the art and work of being a contemporary freelance writer. The QWERTY podcast is brought to you by the book The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life. Read it, and begin your own journey to writing what you know. To learn more, join The Memoir Project free newsletter list and keep up to date on all our free webinars and instructive posts and online classes in how to write memoir, as well as our talented, available memoir editors and memoir coaches, podcast guests and more.

It's the Steam Next Fest Indie extravaganza! Gaming hosts Ryan and Ace break down some of the best indie video games and demo's they played in the latest Next Fest. It's another can't miss indie gaming episode from your favorite video game podcast! Thanks to our MYTHIC Supporters: Redletter, Ol' Jake, Disratory and Gaius Connect with the show: Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/videogamerspod Join our Gaming Community: https://discord.gg/Dsx2rgEEbz Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/videogamerspod/  Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/VideoGamersPod  Subscribe to us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU12YOMnAQwqFZEdfXv9c3Q   Visit us on the web: https://videogamerspod.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Ocean House owner and author Deborah Goodrich Royce for a conversation with authors Annabel Monaghan and Alix Strauss as they discuss their books Summer Romance (Annabel Monaghan) and The Joy of Funerals (Alix Strauss). About Annabel Monaghan: Annabel Monaghan is the author of LibraryReads pick Same Time Next Summer and Indie Next and LibraryReads pick Nora Goes Off Script, as well as two young adult novels and Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud columns that appeared in the Huffington Post, the Week, and the Rye Record. She lives in Rye, New York, with her family. About Summer Romance: The heart-tugging and hilarious story of a professional organizer whose life is a mess, and the summer she gets unstuck with the help of someone unexpected from her past, by the bestselling author of Same Time Next Summer and Nora Goes Off Script. Benefits of a summer romance: It's always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken. Ali Morris is a professional organizer whose own life is a mess. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn't worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember. No one is more surprised than Ali when the first time she takes off her wedding ring and puts on pants with hardware—overalls count, right?—she meets someone. Or rather, her dog claims a man for her in the same way he claimed his favorite of her three children: by peeing on him. Ethan smiles at Ali like her pants are just right—like he likes what he sees. He looks at her as if she's a version of herself she hasn't been in a long while. The last thing newly single mom Ali needs is to make her life messier, but there's no harm in a little summer romance. Is there?   About Alix Strauss: Alix Strauss is a trend, culture and lifestyle journalist; an award-winning, four-time published author; speaker; and frequent contributor to The New York Times. Her books include: The Joy of Funerals (St. Martin's Press & Palagram Press), Based Upon Availability (Harper Collins), and Death Becomes Them: Unearthing the Suicides of the Brilliant, the Famous and the Notorious (Harper Collins). She is also the editor of Have I Got a Guy for You (Simon & Schuster), an anthology of mother-coordinated dating horror stories. Her work has been optioned for several TV and film projects. A media-savvy social satirist, she has been a featured lifestyle, travel, and trend writer on national morning and talk shows including ABC, CBS, CNN, and the Today Show. During the past 25 years she has written over 1500 articles. Her articles, which have appeared in Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Conde Nast Traveler, the Financial Times, Time Magazine, and Departures, among others, and cover a range of topics from trends in beauty, travel, and food to celebrity interviews. The Joy of Funerals is an Ingram Award winner and was named Best Debut Novel by The New York Resident. Alix was the inaugural “First Chapters” pick, Cosmopolitan Magazine's new launchpad of fiction excerpts, giving readers exclusive sneak peeks of gripping new work. Her essays and short fiction have appeared in the Primavera Literary Journal, Hampton Shorts Literary Journal, The Idaho Review, Quality Women's Fiction, The Blue Moon Café III, Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection, and A Kudzu Christmas. Her short story, “Shrinking Away”, won the David Dornstein Creative Writing Award. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships from programs such as the Wesleyan Writers Conference, the Skidmore College Writerʼs Institute, the Sarah Lawrence Summer Program, and the Squaw Valleyʼs Screenwritersʼ Summer Program. Alix lectures extensively and has been a keynote speaker, moderator, or panelist at over 200 conferences, symposiums, seminars, and summits including The Southern Festival of Books, The Northwest Bookfest, The New England's Writer's Conference, Wesleyan Writer's Conference, The 92nd Street Y, New York University, Center for Communications, University of Connecticut, and Columbia University. She was chosen to speak at the National Jewish Book Festival and is on the National Speakers Bureau for Israeli Bonds. Alix Lives in Manhattan. You can connect with her at alixstrauss.com or @alixstrauss. About The Joy of Funerals: From the very first page, readers are drawn into the strange, often humorous world where nine women grapple with sex, power, love, and death. Meet a widow who lusts…a daughter who aches…a lover who obsesses…a shopaholic who hungers… a daredevil who desires…a single woman who longs…an outsider who hopes…an artist who craves…and a funeral-junkie who needs. These are the women who inhabit the eerily honest, often heartbreaking world Alix Strauss has created in The Joy of Funerals. Throughout this powerful and provocative collection, these characters explore the basic need for human connection while seeking to understand themselves better. It is the ‘where do I belong' and the ‘how do I fit in' that these sad, bright and amazingly strong women seek to answer. In “Recovering Larry,” a woman mourns for her dead husband by having sex with grieving men. In “Shrinking Away,” a woman pays a daring shiva call on her psychiatrist's widow. “Swimming Without Annette” explores a woman's obsession with her wife's killer, while “Still Life” peers into the life of a pregnant artist who wishes to paint herself out of a bad marriage and into a prettier world. In “Post-Dated,” a single woman wonders if her recently defunct date was perhaps the perfect man. Read independently, these vivid and raw stories stand on their own. When read as a collection, they are anchored together by the novella, “The Joy of Funerals,” which follows the life of Nina, a lonely, single thirty-something woman who attends the funerals of the deceased characters in the previous stories. Begun as an essay in the Lives column of The New York Times magazine, The Joy of Funerals is written with raw wit, mordant humor and a uniquely penetrating voice as Strauss turns the spotlight on the unattractive subjects of loss, grief and loneliness. For more information about author Annabel Monaghan, visit annabelmonaghan.com and for Alix Strauss, visit alixstrauss.com For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

Author Jessica Handler believes "that when we write well, we're writing about what matters to us." What matters to you? On this episode, Jessica shares a prompt that will help you understand what you're trying to do with your writing. It's one that she often used while working on her memoir, Invisible Sisters.Jessica also shares a prompt that will help you regain focus and use your senses in a work in progress. Her third prompt will help you generate ideas for future projects. About Jessica HandlerJessica Handler is the author of the novel The Magnetic Girl, winner of the 2020 Southern Book Prize and a nominee for the Townsend Prize for Fiction, a 2019 “Books All Georgians Should Read,” an Indie Next pick, Wall Street Journal Spring 2019 pick, Bitter Southerner Summer 2019 pick, and a Southern Independent Bookseller's Association “Okra Pick.” Her memoir Invisible Sisters was also named one of the “Books All Georgians Should Read,” and her craft guide Braving the Fire: A Guide to Writing About Grief and Loss was praised by Vanity Fair magazine. Her writing has appeared on NPR, in Tin House, Drunken Boat, Full Grown People, Oldster, The Bitter Southerner, Electric Literature, Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, Newsweek, The Washington Post and elsewhere.

Send us a Text Message.In today's episode, we have something special for you! We're chatting with Ethan Joella, author of 3 outstanding novels:  A Little Hope (2021), A Quiet Life (2022), and The Same Bright Stars (2024).  His books have been featured in People Magazine and Book Page, have been written up by the NY Times and Kirkus, and have been picks by Book of the Month, Indie Next,  and Read With Jenna.  They have also been featured right here on Book Bumble! All 3 are wonderful, warm, and tender. Ethan Joella is an automatic read for us…if he writes it, we will read. And you should too.  It was a true delight to speak with him!  Enjoy!Featured BooksThe Same Bright Stars by Ethan JoellaA Little Hope by Ethan JoellaA Quiet Life by Ethan JoellaEthan's Hometown Indie BookstoreBrowse About Books - Rehoboth Beach, DelawareBooks Ethan LovesThe Accidental Tourist by Anne TylerWhere the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn WardLast Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'NanEthan's Most Recent ReadYellowface by R.F. KuangWays to contact us:Follow us on Instagram - @thebookbumbleFacebook:  Book BumbleOur website:  https://thebookbumble.buzzsprout.comEmail:  bookbumblepodcast@gmail.comHey Friends, please rate and review us!

Margot Douaihy, PhD, is the author of three books of poetry and the queer hardboiled mysteries Blessed Water (2024) and Scorched Grace (2023), both published with Gillian Flynn Books/Zando. Scorched Grace was a USA Today National Bestseller, an Indie Next pick, named a Best Book of 2023 by The New York Times, The Guardian, and CrimeReads, and the winner of the Pinckley Prize in Crime Fiction for best debut mystery. Margot is an assistant professor with Emerson College, and she serves as a co-editor of the Cambridge University Press Elements in Crime Narratives Series. Her recent academic research includes "Beat the Clock: Queer Temporality and Disrupting Chrononormativity in Crime Fiction," a NeMLA 2024 paper. The next mystery in her Sister Holiday series, Divine Ruin, will be published in 2025 with Gillian Flynn Books.Facebook Page Margot DouaihyInstagram @NeonMargotThreads Handle: @NeonMargotOther Social Media:@MargotDouaihyWebsite www.margotdouaihy.comPRIDE award information: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/pride----------------------------About SinCSisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincnational/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sincnational.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.net/@sincnationalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrimeTikTok:: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincnationalThe SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/

HILMAA WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW GEORGESWORDS BY KATE SCELSAMUSIC BY ROBERT M. JOHANSONDIRECTED BY MORGAN GREENJune 4–23, 2024The early 20th century queer mystic and artist Hilma af Klint channeled hundreds of paintings through messages from otherworldly forces, hoping to communicate the mysteries of the universe. Only recently rediscovered and hailed as one of the first-ever abstract artists, she worked in obscurity during a time that was not yet ready to receive her message. This contemporary opera – with a score that mixes genres including opera, rock, pop, and musical theater– wrestles with the hubris and humility that fueled one woman's spiritual quest.Kate Scelsa – BOOKS: “Fans of the Impossible Life” (HarperCollins, 2015 Indie Next and Junior Library Guild pick), “Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches”(HarperCollins), “Luminary” (Simon&Schuster), “The Mortal Year” (forthcoming from Abrons). THEATER: “Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf” (published by Dramatists Play Service, produced by Elevator Repair Service), New Georges 2017 Audrey Resident, Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation grant recipient for playwriting, performing member of Elevator Repair Service Theater since 2002 (“Gatz,” “The Sound and the Fury,” “The Select”). MUSIC: The Witch Ones (eponymous album) in collab with Robert M. Johanson and Gavin Price. For Mom.LEARN MORE ABOUT HILMA AF KLINT: https://wilmatheater.org/blog/dramaturgy-hilma/FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: https://wilmatheater.org/event/hilma/

Happy Mother's Day, Sisters! We hope it will be a joyful one for you and your families. As we know well, our relationships with our moms can run the emotional gamut over the lifespan. We also know that some moms are made for mothering (or work really hard at it!), while some simply fall short because of circumstances they can't (or don't know how to) control.  In Liz Scheier's beautiful, honest memoir, Never Simple, she describes her difficult and complex relationship with her mother, Judith. As a result of Judith's borderline personality disorder (BPD), Liz's childhood was fraught with chaos and volatility. When Liz was 18 years old, her mother dropped two bombshells. One, that her mom had been married for most of the previous two decades to a man Liz had never heard of. And second, that everything she had told Liz about the man she'd claimed was Liz's dead father was entirely fictional. Never Simple is Liz's story about what happened next. We loved our illuminating and intimate conversation with Liz -- and you will, too. Never Simple has garnered praise from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly (starred review), Kirkus, Library Journal, Bookpage, Booklist, and bestselling authors Augusten Burroughs, Jenny Lawson, Isaac Mizrahi, Elissa Altman, Greer Hendricks, and Mira Bartók. It was chosen as a Best Book of March by Amazon and Apple Books, a People Picks by People Magazine, an Indie Next pick, a Barnes & Noble Top 10 Favorite Ebook of 2022, and was featured as one of “15 March Reads to Get You Through the Month” on Good Morning America. It was a finalist for a Lambda Award.  

This month, The 95.9 Company Break welcomes actress, author, and philanthropist Deborah Goodrich Royce.  Deborah's thrillers examine puzzles of identity. Reef Road, a national bestseller, was named one of the best books of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews and an Indie Next pick by the American Bookseller's Association. Ruby Falls won the Zibby Award for Best Plot Twist, and Finding Mrs. Ford was hailed by Forbes, Book Riot, and Good Morning America's “best of” lists.    The Ocean House Author Series—a salon style conversation that Deborah hosts in partnership with Bank Square Books—brings world-class authors to the stunning seaside location of Watch Hill, RI. It has featured a wide range of fiction and nonfiction writers including Chris Bohjalian, Katie Couric, Emma Straub, and many more. With fellow authors, Luanne Rice and Amy Scheibe, she is currently creating the Deer Mountain Writers' Retreat in the Catskills.    Deborah writes a quarterly column for Hey Rhody Magazine, sharing her book recommendations and news with the Ocean State. She began as an actress on All My Children and in multiple films, before transitioning to the role of story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago and A Wrinkle in Time. Deborah holds a bachelor's degree in modern foreign languages and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Lake Erie College.       With her husband, Chuck, Deborah restored the Avon Theatre, Ocean House Hotel, Deer Mountain Inn, United Theatre, Martin House Books, and numerous Main Street revitalization projects in Rhode Island and the Catskills. She serves on multiple governing and advisory boards. For more information on Deborah visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com or oceanhouseri.com

Notes and Links to Jazmina Barrera Velázquez's Work        For Episode 233, Pete welcomes Jazmina Barrera Velásquez, and the two discuss, among other topics, her idyllic early childhood reading, her love for British, American, and Latin American authors, the ways in which Mexico City and Yucatán have informed her work, translation as an art, a craft, and a deep methods of editing, as well as salient themes from the story collection like evolving friendships, memory and tangibility, women's agency, and one's connection with her forebears and the sensitivities that come with living in a fragile world.       Jazmina Barrera was born in Mexico City in 1988. She was a fellow at the Foundation for Mexican Letters and at Mexico's Fonca's Program for young writers and she's a member of the SNCA (National System of Art Creators in Mexico). She was a beneficiary of the residencies at Casa Estudio Cien años de Soledad. She has published work in various print and digital media, such as The Paris Review, El Malpensante, Words Without Borders, El País andThe New York Times. She has a Master's Degree in Creative Writing in Spanish from New York University, which she completed with the support of a Fulbright grant. She is the author of four books in Spanish: Cuerpo extraño, Cuaderno de faros, Linea nigra and the children's book, Los nombres de los animales and Punto de cruz. Her books have been published in nine countries and translated to English, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and French. Her book of essays Cuerpo extraño (Foreign Body) was awarded the Latin American Voices prize by Literal Publishing in 2013. Cuaderno de faros (On Lighthouses) was long listed for the von Rezzori award and chosen for the Indie Next list by Indie Bound. Linea Nigra was a finalist for the National Book Critics Cricle's Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Autobiography Prize, the CANIEM's Book of the year award and the Amazon Primera Novela (First Novel) Award. Punto de cruz (Cross-Stitch) was a finalist in the Calamo Awards and long-listed for the Republic of Consciousness Prize. She is editor and co-founder of Ediciones Antílope. She lives in Mexico City.      Jazmina Barrera (Ciudad de México, 1988) fue becaria de la Fundación para las Letras Mexicanas y beneficiaria de las residencias de la Casa Estudio Cien Años de Soledad. Fue becaria del programa de Jóvenes Creadores del Fonca y es miembro del Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte. Estudió la maestría en Escritura Creativa en Español en NYU con el apoyo de la beca Fullbright. Sus textos han sido publicados en revistas como The Paris Review, El País, Words Without Borders, Malpensante y The New York Times, entre otras. Es autora de Cuerpo extraño, Cuaderno de faros, Linea nigra, Los nombres de los animales y Punto de Cruz. Su libro de ensayos Cuerpo extraño / Foreign Body ganó el premio Latin American Voices 2013. Linea nigra fue finalista del premio CANIEM al libro del año, del premio Primera Novela, del National Book Critics Circle Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize y del National Book Critics Circle Autobiography Prize. Cuaderno de faros fue parte de la longlist del premio Von Rezzori. Punto de cruz fue finalista del premio Cálamo y parte de la longlist del premio The Republic of Consciousness. Sus libros han sido publicados en nueve países y traducidos al inglés, italiano, holandés, portugués y francés. Es socia fundadora de Ediciones Antílope. Vive en la Ciudad de México.    Buy Cross-Stitch   Jazmina's Website   Review of Cross-Stitch in The New York Times At about 3:00, Jazmina talks about her early reading and writing life, including experiential coolness and professional-style printed books At about 8:45, Jazmina's reciting of her first short story leads to her making an astute observation about the famous Ernest Hemingway quote At about 10:40, Jazmina recounts some of the books and writers that ignited her love of reading  At about 12:00, Jazmina describes Harry Potter as a gateway to learning English At about 13:05, Jazmina talks about her studying English literature at UNAM, and discovering many contemporary Latin American writers at NYU At about 15:10, The two talk about the ways in which American literature is often translated abroad, but not the other way around as much At about 17:05, Jazmina shares cool connections in her writing life to Gabriel Garcia Marquez's former writing haunts  At about 18:10, The two discuss Garcia Marquez legends about time in Mexico City At about 19:20, Jazmina highlights “so many” Latin American standout contemporaries, including Mariana Enriquez, Dolores Reyes, Marta Jimenez Serrano, and Marina Azahua, Astrid López Méndez, Isabel Zapata, César Tejeda, Irad León, Paula Abramo, Mariana Oliver, Veronica Murguia, and of course, her husband, the brilliant Alejandro Zambra At about 21:40-a cool Chilean word is introduced-”fome” At about 22:35, Jazmina reflects on the gendered language of “padre” and other expressions that seem to speak negatively about women At about 23:40, Jazmina speaks about the unique literary culture of Mexico City (en español),  At about 26:25, Jazmina discusses Ediciones Antílope as a place to publish more eccentric, daring books and poetry At about 27:30, The two discuss translation, specifically with regard to Juan Rulfo's work, and the ways in which titles are rendered At about 28:45, Jazmina responds to Pete's questions about how she sees the art of translation, and she responds through talking about “untranslatable” words, diminutive words, and the power of translators as “the closest readers” At about 33:10, Jazmina provides background information on the book's title and her experience with needlework/embroidery At about 36:10, Jazmina talks about seeds for the book  At about 37:50, The two lay out the book's exposition  At about 39:00, Jazmina responds to Pete wondering about the narrator, Mina's, frustration/anger with her friend after a tragedy At about 42:20, Jazmina describes the main character of Dalia At about 44:35, Historical and mythical ideas of rebirth and needles bringing health and connection are discussed At about 47:30, Jazmina talks about a “genealogy of women” that is connected to embroidery At about 48:50, Jazmina responds to Pete's questions about her family history with embroidery and her family connections to Yucatan and her interest in xmanikben At about 51:20, Jazmina gives background on the indigenous communities of México and their rich history around textiles At about 54:15, Jazmina gives background on the literacy program in Queretaro in the book and her real experience with it At about 57:20, Pete traces some of the final scenes of the book and asks Jazmina about Citali's world view At about 1:01:35, Discussion of “empath” leads to discussion of “emos” and a shoutout to Daniel Hernández's Down and Delirious in México City At about 1:02:40, Pete points out an uncomfortable and well-written scene that highlights traumas in Citlali's life    You can now subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, and leave me a five-star review. You can also ask for the podcast by name using Alexa, and find the pod on Stitcher, Spotify, and on Amazon Music. Follow me on IG, where I'm @chillsatwillpodcast, or on Twitter, where I'm @chillsatwillpo1. You can watch this and other episodes on YouTube-watch and subscribe to The Chills at Will Podcast Channel. Please subscribe to both my YouTube Channel and my podcast while you're checking out this episode.    I am very excited about having one or two podcast episodes per month featured on the website of Chicago Review of Books. The audio will be posted, along with a written interview culled from the audio. A big thanks to Rachel León and Michael Welch at Chicago Review-I'm looking forward to the partnership!    Sign up now for The Chills at Will Podcast Patreon: it can be found at patreon.com/chillsatwillpodcastpeterriehl     Check out the page that describes the benefits of a Patreon membership, including cool swag and bonus episodes. Thanks in advance for supporting my one-man show, my DIY podcast and my extensive reading, research, editing, and promoting to keep this independent podcast pumping out high-quality content!       This is a passion project of mine, a DIY operation, and I'd love for your help in promoting what I'm convinced is a unique and spirited look at an often-ignored art form.    The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.        Please tune in for Episode 234 with Sasha Vasilyuk, a journalist and the author of the debut novel Your Presence is Mandatory, which came out to great acclaim on April 23 of this year. Sasha has won several writing awards, including the Solas Award for Best Travel Writing and the NATJA award.    The episode will go live on May 7.     Please go to https://ceasefiretoday.com/, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.

Lily Brooks-Dalton is the bestselling author of The Light Pirate, which was the runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, a #1 Indie Next pick, a Good Morning America Book Club selection, one of NPR's "Books We Love," and a New York Times Editors' Pick. Her previous novel, Good Morning, Midnight, which was the inspiration for the film adaptation The Midnight Sky and her memoir, Motorcycles I've Loved, was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. Her work has been translated into 18 languages. A former writer-in-residence at The Kerouac House and The Studios of Key West, she currently lives in Los Angeles. We talked about writing climate fiction, making time to feel grief, pacing the story so that hope only comes after a proper time to mourn, listening to intuition, remaking the world after catastrophe, magic, and literary structure.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 1927: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Abbot Kahler, author of WHERE YOU END, about writing unnerving literature for unnerving timesAbbott Kahler (formerly Karen Abbott) is the author of four New York Times bestselling works of narrative nonfiction. A search for an ancestor who went missing in 1905 led her to write Sin in the Second City, which tells the true story of two sisters who ran the world's most famous brothel and the nationwide battle to shut them down. Her interest in Gypsy Rose Lee, the subject of American Rose, stems from stories her grandmother shared about the ecdysiast's performances in the 1930s and 40s. Liar Temptress Soldier Spy was inspired by a six-year stint in Atlanta, where the ghosts of the Civil War still seem omnipresent. The HBO show Boardwalk Empire introduced her to bootlegger George Remus, the subject of The Ghosts of Eden Park and a character much more fascinating than Al Capone. Then Came the Devil, her next nonfiction book, is by far the most outrageous story she's ever encountered. Her debut novel, Where You End, is inspired by a true story of identical twins and amnesia, and will be out next January. USA Today once named her “a pioneer of sizzle history.” Abbott's books have featured as Indie Next picks, Amazon's best books of the year, Library Journal's best books of the year, and Smithsonian Magazine's best history books of the year. She has also been a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, the Goodreads book award for history, and the Ohioana Book Awards, the second oldest state literary prize in the country. She has written for newyorker.com, New York Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and other publications, and has appeared on the History Channel, CBS Sunday Morning, AMC's "Making of the Mob,” the Discovery Channel, and other media outlets. Her books have been optioned for television and film, and her podcast about George Remus, REMUS: THE MAD BOOTLEG KING, is forthcoming from iHeartRadio. bAbbott is a native of Philadelphia, where she spent six years as a journalist, covering crime, advocating for abused women, and hanging out with mafia bosses and baseball wives. She lives in New York City and in Greenport, New York, where she's convinced her little bungalow is haunted. She appreciates a good poker hand, an old bottle of wine, and the never-ending hunt for new stories to tell. Read the strange story behind her name change here. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or sign up for her (monthly or so) Wicked History newsletter.Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

What is spitballing? A way to open up new ideas and possibilities in response to a writer's story in a way that brightens their imagination and allows them to “steer into the curve,” making the story truly their own. Michael Lowenthal, who teaches a similar workshop method with the Story Lab at Lesley University, gives us some pointers about how to make the process work and what to avoid.There's still time to register for our live webinar, beginning tomorrow. Email me at 7amnovelist.substack.com if you want to take part. You can also watch the recordings here on our SubStack page or listen to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to our Substack page for updates.Want “spitballing” help for one of your own writing obstacles? Subscribers can email a one-minute-or-less recording (Wave, MP4, or M4A format) detailing “What's Holding You Back?” to 7amnovelist@substack.com. If making a recording seems impossible, submit your responses in writing (under 200 words).Michael Lowenthal is the author of four novels: The Same Embrace (Dutton, 1998); Avoidance (Graywolf Press, 2002); Charity Girl (Houghton Mifflin, 2007), which was a New York Times Book Review “Editors' Choice” and a Washington Post “Top Fiction of 2007″ pick; and The Paternity Test (University of Wisconsin Press, 2012), an Indie Next selection and a Lambda Literary Award finalist. His short stories and essays have appeared in Tin House, Ploughshares, the Southern Review, Guernica, True Story, and the Kenyon Review, and have been widely anthologized, in such volumes as Lost Tribe: Jewish Fiction from the Edge, Bestial Noise: The Tin House Fiction Reader, and Best New American Voices 2005. He has also written for the New York Times Magazine, Boston Magazine, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Out, and many other publications. His first story collection, Sex With Strangers, was published in March 2021. Lowenthal lives in Boston. Since 2003, he has been a faculty member in the low-residency MFA program at Lesley University. Thank you for reading The 7am Novelist. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

Acclaimed debut novelist, Jo Segura, spoke with me about her love of the romance writing community, why natural history and archaeology are her jam, and her debut romcom RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART. Jo Segura's debut, Raiders of the Lost Heart, is described as an adventure romance about “Rival archaeologists [who] must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, [that] could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins. Entertainment Weekly called it, “Romancing the Stone meets Indiana Jones in this thrilling adventure romance.” And Publishers Weekly said of the book, “Segura's rip-roaring debut is sure to put her on the map." The book was named a LibraryReads Pick and Indie Next pick for December, Entertainment Weekly's 41 New Fall Books We're Most Excited To Read, and Book Riot's 8 Of The Best Romance Books With Action. [Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm] [If you're a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] In this file Jo Segura and I discussed: Why she dedicated a whole year to getting published How she turned to escapist fare during the Pandemic Writing her debut novel for NaNoWriMo The reason she named her main character after her great-aunt Why writers have to find their people  And a lot more! Show Notes: Josegura.com Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura Jo Segura on Twitter Jo Segura on Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Chapter 54!My guest is debut novelist, Emily Habeck, author of Shark Heart: A Love Story. Emily has a BFA in Theater from Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts as well as master's degrees from Vanderbilt Divinity School and Vanderbilt's Peabody College. Since it's release in August, Shark Heart has been named a USA Today Bestseller, a Book of the Month selection, a New York Times book review editor's choice, and was the #1 Indie Next pick for August 2023. She is from Ardmore, Oklahoma and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Connect with Emily: website | Instagram | TwitterPurchase Shark Heart: A Love Story from Bookshop.orgBooks mentioned on the show:You Could Make This Place Beautiful - Maggie SmithSmile - Sarah RuhlBluets - Maggie NelsonFellowship Point - Alice Elliot DarkConnect with J: website | Twitter | Instagram | FacebookShop the Bookcast on Bookshop.orgMusic by JuliusH

Join Ocean House owner, actor, and bestselling author Deborah Goodrich Royce for a conversation with Novelist Annabel Monaghan as they discuss her latest novel, Same Time Next Summer. Annabel Monaghan is the author of IndieNext and LibraryReads pick Nora Goes Off Script as well as two young adult novels and Does This Volvo Make My Butt Look Big?, a selection of laugh-out-loud columns that appeared in the Huffington Post, The Week, and the Rye Record. Same Time Next Summer is the ultimate summer nostalgia read, about an engaged woman who comes face to face with her first love whom she hasn't seen in fourteen years but whom she spent every summer with from age five to seventeen when he broke her heart, calling into question everything she thought she knew about their love story, and herself. Find out more at annabelmonaghan.com. For more information on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden discusses the first pages of his novel, Winter Counts, how he studied fight scenes to get it right, his best dialog tricks, the vulnerabilities of his tough-guy protagonist, and how to speak to political and social justice issues while staying true to your story.Weiden's first pages can be found here.Help local bookstores and our authors by buying this book on Bookshop.Click here for the audio/video version of this interview.The above link will be available for 48 hours. Missed it? The podcast version is always available, both here and on your favorite podcast platform.David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, is the author of Winter Counts (Ecco, 2020), which was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The book was the winner of the Anthony, Thriller, Lefty, Barry, Macavity, Spur, High Plains, Electa Quinney, Tillie Olsen, CrimeFest (UK), and Crime Fiction Lover (UK) Awards, and was longlisted for many other awards. The novel was a New York Times Editors' Choice, an Indie Next pick, main selection of the Book of the Month Club, and named a Best Book of the year by NPR, Amazon, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, The Guardian, and other magazines. His short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in The Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories 2022, Denver Noir, Midnight Hour, This Time for Sure, Never Whistle at Night, and The Perfect Crime. He's the series editor of Native Edge, an imprint of the University of New Mexico Press specializing in Indigenous literature. Weiden received the PEN America Writing for Justice Fellowship and is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from MacDowell, Ucross, Ragdale, Vermont Studio Center, Sewanee, and Tin House. Weiden received his MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts, his law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor of Native American studies and Political Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver and serves on the faculty of the Cedar Crest Pan-European MFA Program and also the Mile-High MFA Program at Regis University. He lives in Denver with his family. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

On this episode of Complicated Conversations we welcome Emily Habeck to discuss her stunning debut, Shark Heart, a love story that begins with newlyweds Wren and her husband, Lewis—a man who, over the course of nine months, transforms into a great white shark. This is a truly original and lyrical novel unlike anything we've ever read that explores grief, metamorphosis, intergenerational trauma, motherhood, loneliness and how we create a meaningful life. Our conversation with Emily is just as beautiful, unique and interesting thanks to her thoughtfulness and generosity.  Shark Heart is out now and it's been selected as #1 on the Indie Next list for August and is a Book Of The Month pick too - believe the hype! Buy it, read it, share it, and listen to our spoiler-free chat with Emily wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jessica Keener discusses the first pages of her debut novel, Night Swim, recently re-released in a new 10th anniversary edition. We talk about how she straddled the genre line of an adult novel with a young protagonist, the way her frame story helped her understand what the book was all about, and her journey to find her own publisher instead of accepting unwanted changes—only to make the book a bestseller in the end.Keener's first pages can be found here.Help local bookstores and our authors by buying this book on Bookshop.Click here for the audio/video version of this interview.The above link will be available for 48 hours. Missed it? The podcast version is always available, both here and on your favorite podcast platform.Jessica Keener's debut novel, Night Swim, was a national bestseller, which was followed by an award-winning collection of stories, Women in Bed. Her second novel, Strangers in Budapest, was an Indie Next pick, an Entertainment Weekly best new book, and a Southern Independent Bookseller Association bestseller. A tenth-anniversary edition of Night Swim was published in March 2023 for which she embarked on a 50-state virtual book club tour. She's been the recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council artist grant, a fellowship from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and scholarships for writing excellence from Wesleyan and Brown University. Her features have appeared in The Boston Globe, Agni, O magazine and others. Her essay “The Flow Room,” originally published by WBUR's Cognoscenti, was included in the award-winning anthology: LOVE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19, which won the 2021 Washington State Book prize. An excerpt from her forthcoming novel, Evening Begins the Day, will be published in June by Image magazine.Thank you for reading The 7am Novelist. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

In Amy Grace Loyd's new novel, The Pain of Pleasure (Roundabout Press 2023), nearly everyone suffers some kind of intense pain. Some find their way to the Doctor, formerly a respected neurologist but now director of a headache clinic in the basement of what was once a Brooklyn church. He experiments with different treatments for a wide variety of migraine sufferers but can't stop obsessing over Sarah, the patient who suddenly broke off contact with the clinic and disappeared, leaving only a journal that describes her affair with a married man. The Doctor's salary and the clinic's costs are underwritten by a wealthy patron, Adele Watson, who, because she believes the doctor was in love with Sarah, is also obsessed. Mrs. Watson hires Ruth, a nurse with her own troubled back story, to spy on the Doctor. And the fragile balance between patient health and trust in The Doctor starts to crumble when a hurricane sweeps through New York, upending or destroying whatever is in its path. Amy Grace Loyd is an editor, teacher, and author of the novels The Affairs of Others, a BEA Buzz Book and Indie Next selection, and The Pain of Pleasure. She began her career at independent book publisher W.W. Norton & Company and The New Yorker, in the magazine's fiction and literary department. She was the associate editor on the New York Review Books Classics series and the fiction and literary editor at Playboy magazine and later at Esquire. She's also worked in digital publishing, as an executive editor at e-singles publisher Byliner and as an acquiring editor and content creator for Scribd Originals. She has been an adjunct professor at the Columbia University MFA writing program and a MacDowell and Yaddo fellow. She lives between New York and New Hampshire. Amy loves to get lost in music, dance wildly to wild music, walk long distances, often with NO PHONE on hand, just the sounds of the world around her as she moves, especially the sounds of trees (she's made for trees). She is passionate about silence and solitude and kindness in an unkind world. We all have a lot of healing to do these days and she keeps searching for ways to achieve that for herself and others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Amy Grace Loyd's new novel, The Pain of Pleasure (Roundabout Press 2023), nearly everyone suffers some kind of intense pain. Some find their way to the Doctor, formerly a respected neurologist but now director of a headache clinic in the basement of what was once a Brooklyn church. He experiments with different treatments for a wide variety of migraine sufferers but can't stop obsessing over Sarah, the patient who suddenly broke off contact with the clinic and disappeared, leaving only a journal that describes her affair with a married man. The Doctor's salary and the clinic's costs are underwritten by a wealthy patron, Adele Watson, who, because she believes the doctor was in love with Sarah, is also obsessed. Mrs. Watson hires Ruth, a nurse with her own troubled back story, to spy on the Doctor. And the fragile balance between patient health and trust in The Doctor starts to crumble when a hurricane sweeps through New York, upending or destroying whatever is in its path. Amy Grace Loyd is an editor, teacher, and author of the novels The Affairs of Others, a BEA Buzz Book and Indie Next selection, and The Pain of Pleasure. She began her career at independent book publisher W.W. Norton & Company and The New Yorker, in the magazine's fiction and literary department. She was the associate editor on the New York Review Books Classics series and the fiction and literary editor at Playboy magazine and later at Esquire. She's also worked in digital publishing, as an executive editor at e-singles publisher Byliner and as an acquiring editor and content creator for Scribd Originals. She has been an adjunct professor at the Columbia University MFA writing program and a MacDowell and Yaddo fellow. She lives between New York and New Hampshire. Amy loves to get lost in music, dance wildly to wild music, walk long distances, often with NO PHONE on hand, just the sounds of the world around her as she moves, especially the sounds of trees (she's made for trees). She is passionate about silence and solitude and kindness in an unkind world. We all have a lot of healing to do these days and she keeps searching for ways to achieve that for herself and others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Meg Waite Clayton discusses the first pages of her latest novel, The Postmistress of Paris, how she reached out on social media to find experts to help her write her opening (and it worked!), her method of drafting in the first person to draw her closer to her third person narrative, and the best advice she ever got: “Use extraordinary actions to illuminate ordinary emotions.”Clayton's first pages can be found here.Help local bookstores and our authors by buying this book on Bookshop.Click here for the audio/video version of this interview.The above link will be available for 48 hours. Missed it? The podcast version is always available, both here and on your favorite podcast platform.Meg Waite Clayton is the author of eight novels, most recently the international bestseller The Postmistress of Paris, which is a Good Morning America Buzz Book, New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, Publishers Weekly notable book, Indie Next booksellers pick, and an Amazon Editors' Pick recommended by People Magazine and USA Today. HerJewish Book Award finalist The Last Train to London, is a national and international bestseller, and is published or forthcoming in 20 languages. Her screenplay for the novel was chosen for the prestigious Meryl Streep- and Nicole Kidman-sponsored The Writers Lab. Meg's prior novels include the #1 Amazon fiction bestseller Beautiful Exiles; the Langum Prize honored The Race for Paris; The Wednesday Sisters, named one of Entertainment Weekly's 25 Essential Best Friend Novels of all time (on a list with The Three Musketeers!); and The Language of Light, a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. She mentors for the OpEd Project and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

Cheryl A. Head writes the Anthony, and Lambda Literary Award nominated; and Goldie and IPPY Award winning, Charlie Mack Motown Mysteries. The most recent book in the series, Warn Me When It's Time, was dubbed “chilling and prescient” by The New York Times.Cheryl's latest book, Time's Undoing, a crime novel based on her family's personal tragedy, was an Indie Next pick, an Amazon Best Book of March, and is an Amazon Editors Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense.Formerly of Detroit, Head's books are included in the Special Collections of the Library of Michigan, and the Detroit Public Library's African-American Books list. She is the Vice Chair of the Bouchercon Board of Directors.Cheryl lives in Washington, DC with her partner, and canine supervisors: Abby and Frisby.Cheryl's Social Links:www.cherylhead.comhttps://www.twitter/cheaddchttps://www.instagram/cheadwriteshttps://www.facebook.com/cheryl.head.104/Discussed on the podcast:Long Way Home: A World War II Novel by Cheryl A HeadDru Ann Love's blog: https://drusbookmusing.com/This episode was released in June of 2022.*****************About Sisters in CrimeSisters in Crime was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincnational/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SINCnationalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrimeThe SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/*****ABOUT THE PRIDE AWARDThe Pride Award is an annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community. Here's what is required for submission:An unpublished work of crime fiction, aimed at readers from children's chapter books through adults. This may be a short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in-progress of 2,500 to 5,000 words.A resume or biographical statement.A cover letter that gives a sense of the applicant as an emerging writer in the genre and briefly states how the award money would be used. (How the money might be used is not a deciding factor in the judges' decision.)An unpublished writer is preferred, however publication of not more than ten pieces of short fiction or up to two self-published or traditionally published books will not disqualify an applicant. While no prior writing or publishing experience is required, the applicant should include any relevant studies or experience in their materials.For more info: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/Pride

On May 11, 2023, Rachel Beanland gave a lecture about the historical research behind her novel about the Richmond Theater Fire, The House is On Fire. Rachel Beanland's latest novel, The House Is On Fire, is based on the true story of the 1811 Richmond Theater fire and is already being called “a stunning achievement” by Jeannette Walls and “a propulsive, pulse-pounding read” by Kathleen Grissom. The novel begins the night of the fire and follows four characters—white and Black, free and enslaved—who experience the incendiary event from very different perspectives. Beanland based all four characters on the lives of real people who lived through the fire and its aftermath, and in this talk, she'll share how she used primary and secondary sources—including archival material belonging to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture—to bring these characters and others to life. Rachel Beanland's first novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever, was selected as a book club pick by Barnes & Noble, a featured debut by Amazon, an Indie Next pick by the American Booksellers Association, and one of the best books of 2020 by USA Today. It was also named a New York Times Editors' Choice and was recognized with the 2020 National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction. Beanland earned her MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University and lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her family. Her newest book is The House is On Fire. The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

First pages are impossible… so we're hearing from authors about how they got them right. In this episode, Juliette Fay discusses the first pages of her newest novel, The Half of It. We talk about how her early instincts helped her shape the rest of the book, including her theme, her character's wound, the book's inciting incident, using “Captain Happen” characters, and how she worked in the necessary backstory as her first scene progressed.Fay's full first chapter can be found here (scroll down on right side).Help local bookstores and our authors by buying this book on Bookshop.Click here for the video version of this interview.The above link will be available for 48 hours. Missed it? The podcast version is always available, both here and on your favorite podcast platform.Juliette Fay is the bestselling author of seven novels, including THE HALF OF IT, CATCH US WHEN WE FALL, CITY OF FLICKERING LIGHT and THE TUMBLING TURNER SISTERS, a USA Today bestseller and Costco Pennie's Book Club Pick. Previous novels include THE SHORTEST WAY HOME, one of Library Journal's Top 5 Best Books of 2012: Women's Fiction; DEEP DOWN TRUE, short-listed for the 2011 Women's Fiction award by the American Library Association; and SHELTER ME, a 2009 Massachusetts Book Award “Must-Read Book” and an Indie Next pick. Juliette is a graduate of Boston College and Harvard University, and lives in Massachusetts with her family. Thank you for reading The 7am Novelist. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Michael Farris Smith about his latest novel SALVAGE THIS WORLD. Michael Farris Smith is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Book Riot, and numerous other outlets, and have been named Indie Next, Barnes & Noble Discover, and Amazon Best of the Month selections. He has also written the feature-film adaptations of his novels Desperation Road and The Fighter, titled for the screen as Rumble Through the Dark. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters.

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Michael Farris Smith about his latest novel SALVAGE THIS WORLD. Michael Farris Smith is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Book Riot, and numerous other outlets, and have been named Indie Next, Barnes & Noble Discover, and Amazon Best of the Month selections. He has also written the feature-film adaptations of his novels Desperation Road and The Fighter, titled for the screen as Rumble Through the Dark. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eliot-parker/support

The book of the moment for today's episode is Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Just a forewarning for those of you listening, this is NOT a spoiler-free zone. We will be discussing this book in all of its glory, which of course includes revealing the ending. We will also be discussing the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of this book! Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of the New York Times Bestselling novels Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her books have been chosen by Reese's Book Club, Read with Jenna, Indie Next, Best of Amazon, and Book of the Month. Her novel, Daisy Jones and The Six, is currently being adapted by Hello Sunshine into a limited series for Amazon. She lives in Los Angeles. If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to leave a review on whichever platform you are listening on, if applicable. If you have any further questions regarding topics discussed throughout the episode feel free to join our Hardcover Hoes Discord Server via the link in the show notes, or send us an email at hardcoverhoespod@gmail.com. Feel free to recommend books to cover in future episodes as well!

Jobs, kids, life! How to deal with the challenges of self-doubt, belief in your work, juggling your relationships and your writing time, and possibly even using those obstacles to spur you on. Authors David Abrams and Ilan Mochari share their experience to help us out.For a list of my fave craft books and the most recent works by our guests, go to our Bookshop page.David Abrams is the author of two novels about the Iraq War: Brave Deeds and Fobbit, a comedy Publishers Weekly called “an instant classic.” It was also a New York Times Notable Book, an Indie Next pick, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and a finalist for the L.A. Times' Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Abrams' short stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and appeared in the anthologies Montana Noir, Watchlist, and Fire and Forget. He lives in Helena, Montana with his wife and their many cats.Ilan Mochari's debut novel ZINSKY THE OBSCURE earned acclaim from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist. His stories and poems have been widely published, appearing in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Salamander, Solstice, Hobart, Juked, J Journal, North Dakota Quarterly, Valparaiso Fiction Review and elsewhere. His work has been nominated for multiple Pushcart Prizes as well as the Derringer Award, and he is the recipient of a Literature Artist Fellowship grant from the Somerville Arts Council.  Thank you for reading The 7am Novelist. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

The enchanting Kate Scelsa stops by the podcast to talk about her hilarious parody adaptation titled Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf. In this episode, we discuss:How her play was a love letter to Albee's classic, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and that it was also written bespoke for actors at Elevator Repair ServiceJust how much Kate is obsessed with WAOVW, particularly the character of MarthaThe abundance of Easter eggs and the annotated list she provides in the scriptWhat writers can do to cope with rejectionAnd more!Resources MentionedEveryone's Fine With Virginia WoolfElevator Repair Service TheaterLuminary: A Magical Guide to Self-CareImprobable Magic for Cynical WitchesSNL Skit - "Dinner with the Dean"About Our GuestKate Scelsa is a novelist, playwright, and songwriter. Her debut young adult novel Fans of the Impossible Life was a Fall 2015 Indie Next pick, a Junior Library Guild pick, a 2016 Rainbow List Top Ten Pick, and has been published in ten languages. She is also the author of Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches, a new YA novel from HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray, and Luminary: A Magical Guide to Self-Care from Simon & Schuster. A recipient of a Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation grant for playwriting, Kate has worked for many years with New York experimental theater company Elevator Repair Service, including a decade spent performing in “Gatz,” their eight-hour-long version of The Great Gatsby. Her play Everyone's Fine with Virginia Woolf was produced in NYC and Dublin in 2018 and has been published by Dramatists Play Service. Kate also writes songs and performs Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

In today's episode, Deborah Goodrich Royce joins me to talk about her latest book, Reef Road. We discuss the personal story behind her book and the role of generational trauma in her writing niche, which she calls “Identity Thrillers.”  We also covered the explosion of true crime content and got a sneak peek at some details of her upcoming book. Also, Deborah shares her book recommendations — breaking the format by pairing the old and new books together.   This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights A spoiler-free rundown of Reef Road. Deborah's “Identity Thrillers” micro-genre and how it fits her writing style. The real-life crime that inspired Reef Road. Why Deborah chose to write a fictional story instead of a non-fiction account. How she explores generational and conferred trauma. The connection between generational trauma and the obsessive researching that motivates amateur sleuths. The role of residual trauma in the lives of authors Dominick Dunne and Michelle McNamara. The explosion of True Crime content and the public's fascination with it. Deborah shares a story about a recent break-in she experienced and discusses how her thriller author mindset influenced her analysis of the event. Some sneak peek details about an upcoming book she's working on. The meta elements about crime fiction in Reef Road. The real-life details that helped develop the true crime writer character's voice in the story. How the setting and the COVID lockdown played a pivotal role in the development of the story. Deborah's Book Recommendations [33:26] Two Book PAIRINGS She Loves Old Book: The Pursuit of Love; Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford | Amazon | Bookshop.org [33:55] New Book: The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:53] Old Book: Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:55] New Book: Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:29] One Book She Didn't Love The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot | Amazon | Bookshop.org [43:27] One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane (May 2, 2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:44] Last 5-Star Book Deborah Read Charming Billy by Alice McDermott | Amazon | Bookshop.org [47:32] Other Books Mentioned Ruby Falls by Deborah Goodrich Royce [1:22] Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce [1:28] I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara [13:35] Unmasked by Paul Holes [13:51] Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson [22:42] Seven Days in June by Tia Williams [22:59] The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles [23:43] The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb [26:21] 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard [32:42] All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr [33:04] The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford [38:13] Kind and Usual Punishment by Jessica Mitford [38:16] The Sun King by Nancy Mitford [38:35] Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford [38:39] Middlemarch by George Eliot [43:53] Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane [45:59] Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry [49:18] About Deborah Goodrich Royce Website | Twitter | Instagram Deborah Goodrich Royce's thrillers examine puzzles of identity. Reef Road hit Publishers Weekly's Bestseller list, Good Morning America's Top 15 list, and was an Indie Next pick by the American Booksellers Association for January 2023. Ruby Falls won the Zibby Award for Best Plot Twist in 2021 and Finding Mrs. Ford was hailed by Forbes, Book Riot, and Good Morning America's “best of” lists in 2019.  She began as an actress on All My Children and in multiple films, before transitioning to the role of story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago and A Wrinkle in Time.  With her husband, Chuck, Deborah restored the Avon Theatre, Ocean House Hotel, Deer Mountain Inn, United Theatre, Savoy Bookstore, and numerous Main Street revitalization projects in Rhode Island and the Catskills.  She serves on the governing and advisory boards of the American Film Institute, Greenwich International Film Festival, New York Botanical Garden, Greenwich Historical Society, and the PRASAD Project.  Deborah holds a bachelor's degree in modern foreign languages and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Lake Erie College.  

How to keep the faith and find the time when writing gets tough and you need to begin again (because you always can). Authors Rosie Sultan and Jessica Keener give us some helpful pointers to get us going.For a list of my fave craft books and the most recent works by our guests, go to our Bookshop page.Rosie Sultan's novel Helen Keller In Love (Viking) was praised by The Washington Post, Booklist, and The Library Journal and was an American Library Association book club pick. Rosie won the PEN Discovery Award for Fiction and a Virginia Center of the Creative Arts fellowship. Her new novel, The Best Way to Disappear, is nearing completion. Rosie has taught writing at Suffolk University, Boston University, and Grub Street. She's a manuscript consultant and helps novelists get their stories into the world. As a literary activist, Rosie raises awareness and money for racial and reproductive rights with Writers For—a group of women writers who use their voices to make our world a better place for all. Jessica Keener Jessica Keener's latest novel, Strangers in Budapest, was an Indie Next pick, a "best new book” selection by Entertainment Weekly, Chicago Review of Books, January Magazine, Real Simple, and a Southern Independent Bookstore Association (SIBA) bestseller. Her debut novel, Night Swim, was a national bestseller, followed by Women in Bed, her collection of award-winning stories. She has taught writing at Brown University, Boston University, and Grub Street, and is currently completing a new novel. An anniversary edition of Night Swim was just released in February. Thank you for reading The 7am Novelist. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

When you're building a society's conceptions of gender and gender roles... where do you start? Do you want to draw from historical precedent (for good or ill), or try to create something from scratch? G.R. Macallister joins us to discuss thoughtfully incorporating ideas of gender into your world, whether or not you're making it a cornerstone of your premise. We also discuss where gender intersects with other important worldbuilding concepts: religion, government, sexuality, family structures, and more! (Transcript for Episode 95 tk) Our Guest: G.R. Macallister is the author of the Five Queendoms series, beginning with Scorpica, which Publishers Weekly called “a must-read for fans of Game of Thrones and Priory of the Orange Tree.” She also writes bestselling historical fiction under the name Greer Macallister. Her novels have been named Indie Next, LibraryReads, and Amazon Best Book of the Month picks and optioned for film and television. A regular contributor to Writer Unboxed and the Chicago Review of Books, she lives with her family in Boston. Scorpica is her epic fantasy debut.

Today's episode is actually a special one, as the book of the moment today was requested by one of our listeners on Instagram. @Mami.p.mua, thank you for the recommendation! The book of the moment for today's episode is Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica. Just a forewarning for those of you listening, this is NOT a spoiler-free zone. We will be discussing this book in all of its glory, which of course includes revealing the ending. Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many suspense novels, including THE GOOD GIRL, PRETTY BABY, DON'T YOU CRY, EVERY LAST LIE, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT, THE OTHER MRS. and LOCAL WOMAN MISSING. A former high school history teacher, Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children. Her first novel THE GOOD GIRL was an Indie Next pick in August of 2014, received a Strand Critics Nomination for Best First Novel and was a nominee in the Goodreads Choice Awards in Debut Goodreads Author and in Mystery & Thriller for 2014. If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to leave a review on whichever platform you are listening on, if applicable. If you have any further questions regarding topics discussed throughout the episode feel free to join our Hardcover Hoes Discord Server via the link in the show notes, or send us an email at hardcoverhoespod@gmail.com. Feel free to recommend books to cover in future episodes as well! Discord Server: https://discord.gg/zpvW4FyuPF TikTok, IG, Twitter: @HardcoverHoes Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/993967071461813/

Selected among Book Sense and Indie Next top picks, and Amazon and Bookbub Editor's Picks for Best Books, Suzanne writes novels that School Library Journal calls "amazing" and "poignant" and VOYA calls "heart-stirring" and "marvelous." Suzanne, the author of both middle grade and young adult fiction, is a wife, mother, a crafter of dollhouse miniatures, an avid traveler, dog hugger, nap expert, and chocolate lover extraordinaire. Suzanne's novels have received starred reviews in SLJ, KLIATT, VOYA and BCCB, and have been selected for state and national reading lists. After living all over the United States, Suzanne and her family now make their home back in her native state of Texas. suzannecrowley.com

Gin Phillips has written six novels, and her work has been sold in 29 countries.Her debut novel, The Well and the Mine, won the 2009 Barnes & Noble Discover Award. Her novel Fierce Kingdom was named one of the Best Crime Novels of 2017 by the New York Times Book Review. It was also named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Publishers Weekly, Amazon, and Kirkus Reviews. A Kirkus starred review called it “poignant and profound,” adding that "this adrenaline-fueled thriller will shatter readers like a bullet through bone.” The New York Times called the novel “expertly made…clever and irresistible,” noting that “Phillips…beautifully captures the quirks, tedium and magic of parenting a young child.”Gin's novels also have been named as selections for Indie Next, Book of the Month, and the Junior Library Guild.Born in Montgomery, Al., Gin graduated from Birmingham-Southern College with a degree in political journalism. After time spent in Ireland, New York, and Washington, D.C., she currently lives with her family (plus a schnoodle and a mini golden mountain doodle) in Birmingham.Learn more at Ginphillips.com

From the authors of 2020's Tiny Imperfections comes a new novel that takes a humorous but candid look at issues like race, religion, parenting, and love through the lens of female friendship. Never Meant to Meet You features protagonist Marjette Lewis, a self-proclaimed “fixer” and kindergarten teacher facing the challenges of raising a son on the verge of manhood, entering her first year without her best friend (the campus “Black-up”) at the private school, and dealing with an ex-husband who is the source of chronic vexation. In contrast to Marjette, her white, Jewish neighbor Noa Abrams appears perfect on the outside, and Marjette is too focused on her own matters to butt in to her neighbor's business affairs this time. But when tragedy strikes Noa's family and an unexpected students enters Marjette's classroom, she is forced to face both her neighbor and her own disappointment — as well as the possibility of new love. Through laughter, tears, and expanding our pre-conceived notions of family and kinship, Marjette and Noa find common ground, common goals, and a strength they didn't know they had. Alli Frank and Asha Youmans are coauthors of Tiny Imperfections (Random House, 2020), and Alli is a contributing essayist in the anthology Moms Don't Have Time to: A Quarantine Anthology. Alli has worked in education for more than twenty years, from boisterous public high schools to small, progressive private academies. A graduate of Cornell and Stanford Universities, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two daughters. Alli became a Tall Poppy Writer in 2022. Asha Youmans spent two decades teaching elementary school students. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, Asha lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and has two grown sons. Asha is a fabulous home cook who loves storytelling and connecting with others by making them smile. In 2022, Asha joined with Alli as a Tall Poppy Writer. Learn more about Alli Frank and Asha Youmans at www.alliandasha.com. Tara Conklin is a writer and former lawyer whose first novel, The House Girl,  was a New York Times bestseller, #1 IndieNext pick, Target book club pick, and has been translated into eight languages. Her second novel, The Last Romantics (2019) was an instant New York Times bestseller and major book club pick. Her latest novel Community Board will be released March 28, 2023. Never Meant to Meet You

Two of the more unusual point of view choices, but they can be fun (and necessary) all the same: The Second Person and The First Person Plural (or the snobbier term “Royal We”). What are they? Why experiment with them? What effects can they grant you on the page and what might they take away? Special guests David Abrams and Allison Amend help us find out.Allison Amend, a Chicago native and a diehard Cubs fan, graduated from Stanford University and the Iowa Writer's Workshop. She is the author of the IPPY award-winning short story collection Things That Pass for Love and the novels A Nearly Perfect Copy and Stations West, which was a finalist for the 2011 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the Oklahoma Book Award. Her most recent book, Enchanted Islands, was on the longlist for the International Dublin Award. Allison teaches creative writing at Lehman College, in The Bronx, New York.David Abrams is the author of two novels: Brave Deeds and Fobbit, a comedy about the Iraq War that Publishers Weekly called “an instant classic.” It was also a New York Times Notable Book of 2012, an Indie Next pick, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and a finalist for the L.A. Times' Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. David has also been a manuscript consultant for Grub Street for the past four years. He lives in Helena, Montana with his wife and their many cats. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

The pros and cons of writing in the third person limited, likely the most favored point of view. What freedoms might it grant you in terms of language and providing context? How might it hold you back in terms of intimacy? Our guests Linda Schlossberg and Whitney Scharer help us find the answers.Linda Schlossberg received her Ph.D in English Literature from Harvard, where she now serves as Associate Director of Studies for Women, Gender, and Sexuality and teaches courses in gender, literature, and creative writing. Schossberg was the recipient of a 2022 and 2019 Somerville Arts Council/Massachusetts Cultural Council grant as well as the recipient of the Writer's Center 2016 Emerging Writer Fellowship. She is the author of the novel Life in Miniature and the co-editor of Passing: Identity and Interpretation in Sexuality, Race, and Religion, and her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including McSweeney's, The Belladonna, and Post Road. Her new novel, The Incubator, is represented by Aevitas Creative Management.Whitney Scharer holds a BA in English from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington. Her first novel, The Age of Light, was published in 2019, and was a Boston Globe and IndieNext bestseller and has been published in over a dozen other countries. Whitney has been awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council Fiction Fellowship, Ragdale and VCCA residencies, a St. Botolph Emerging Artists Grant, and a Somerville Arts Council Artists Fellowship.  She lives with her husband and daughter in Arlington, MA, where she runs a freelance graphic design business and is at work on her second novel. To find out more, visit www.whitneyscharer.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

On the Season One finale of Ursa Short Fiction, co-hosts Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton talk to Nana Nkweti, author of the acclaimed short story collection, Walking on Cowrie Shells (Graywolf Press).  Nkweti's story “Dance the Fiya Dance,” performed by Enih Agwe, was featured in Episode 15.  Read the full transcript. Support Future Episodes of Ursa Short Fiction Become a Member at ursastory.com/join. About the Author  Nana Nkweti is a Cameroonian-American writer, Whiting Award winner, and AKO Caine Prize finalist whose work has garnered fellowships from MacDowell, Vermont Studio Center, Ucross, Byrdcliffe, Kimbilio, Hub City Writers, the Stadler Center for Poetry, the Wurlitzer Foundation, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Clarion West Writers Workshop. Her first book, Walking on Cowrie Shells, was hailed by The New York Times review as a “raucous and thoroughly impressive debut” with "stories to get lost in again and again." The collection is also a New York Times Editor's Choice, Indie Next pick, recipient of starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and BookPage; and has been featured in The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, Oprah Daily, The Root, NPR, Buzzfeed, and Thrillist; amongst others. The work features elements of mystery, horror, myth, and graphic novels to showcase the complexity and vibrance of African diaspora cultures and identities. She is a professor of English at the University of Alabama where she teaches creative writing courses that explore her eclectic literary interests: ranging from graphic novels to medical humanities onto exploring works by female authors in genres such as horror, Afrofuturism, and mystery. Episode Links and Reading List:  “Dance the Fiya Dance” (Ursa)  Walking on Cowrie Shells (Graywolf Press)  Nana Nkweti's website “Nana Nkweti's Tales of Cameroonians at Home and in America” (Deesha Philyaw, The New York Times Book Review) Citizen: An American Lyric, by Claudia Rankine Bloodchild, Octavia Butler “The Secret Sci-Fi Life of Alice B. Sheldon” (NPR) More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:  The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton introduce their latest short story pick, Nana Nkweti's “Dance the Fiya Dance,” from her acclaimed 2021 debut collection, Walking On Cowrie Shells, published by Graywolf Press.  Through a series of journal entries, we meet Chambu, a DC-based linguistic anthropologist and “Halfrican” (daughter of a Cameroonian mom and African American dad) who processes a devastating loss while sparking a sexy new romance. For content advisories, scroll to the end of the show notes.   The story is performed by Enih Agwe, with music and mixing by Alexis Adimora, and illustrations by Halimah Smith at Artpce. Ursa Executive producers are Dawnie Walton and Mark Armstrong. You can read along at ursastory.com/dance. Support Future Episodes of Ursa Short Fiction Become a Member at ursastory.com/join. About the Author  Nana Nkweti is a Cameroonian-American writer, Whiting Award winner, and AKO Caine Prize finalist whose work has garnered fellowships from MacDowell, Vermont Studio Center, Ucross, Byrdcliffe, Kimbilio, Hub City Writers, the Stadler Center for Poetry, the Wurlitzer Foundation, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Clarion West Writers Workshop. Her first book, Walking on Cowrie Shells, was hailed by The New York Times review as a “raucous and thoroughly impressive debut” with "stories to get lost in again and again." The collection is also a New York Times Editor's Choice, Indie Next pick, recipient of starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and BookPage; and has been featured in The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, Oprah Daily, The Root, NPR, Buzzfeed, and Thrillist; amongst others. The work features elements of mystery, horror, myth, and graphic novels to showcase the complexity and vibrance of African diaspora cultures and identities. She is a professor of English at the University of Alabama where she teaches creative writing courses that explore her eclectic literary interests: ranging from graphic novels to medical humanities onto exploring works by female authors in genres such as horror, Afrofuturism, and mystery. More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:  The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton Content advisory: Partner abuse, pregnancy loss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

How to get yourself in the right place to write, and how to use what you already have on the page to find your way forward, with authors Grace Talusan and Jessica Keener.Grace Talusan is the author of The Body Papers, which won the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing and the Massachusetts Book Award in Nonfiction. Her writing has been supported by the NEA, the Fulbright, US Artists, the Brother Thomas Fund, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She teaches in the Nonfiction Writing Program at Brown University.  Jessica Keener's latest novel, Strangers in Budapest, was an Indie Next pick, a "best new book” selection by Entertainment Weekly, Chicago Review of Books, January Magazine, Real Simple, and a Southern Independent Bookstore Association (SIBA) bestseller. Her debut novel, Night Swim, was a national bestseller, followed by Women in Bed, her collection of award-winning stories. She has taught writing at Brown University, Boston University, Grub Street, and the Story Summit, and is currently completing a new novel. An anniversary edition of Night Swim is forthcoming in February 2023. And here are some of the things we talked about.First, Nancy Krusoe's method of “burrowing” which she discusses in her contributor's notes for her story “Landscape and Dream” in The Best American Short Stories 1994:Secondly, Douglas Bauer's The Stuff of Fiction: Advice on CraftAlso the idea from Virginia Woolf of “gathering in,” most helpful for revision.And finally, one of our marvelous webinar participants (Allison Grinberg-Funes) shared a writing software tool called “focusmate”: “It's a software where you can schedule 25 or 50 minute sessions and be on video with someone. At the beginning, you say what you're working on, then you get to work! You stay in the seat. At the end of the time period, you tell the person how much you accomplished. It's free for 3 sessions a week. More than that is $5/mo and it's honestly worth it in my opinion!” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com

Celeste Ng is the author of three novels, Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Her first novel, Everything I Never Told You (2014), was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book of 2014, Amazon's #1 Best Book of 2014, and named a best book of the year by over a dozen publications. Her second novel, Little Fires Everywhere (2017) was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 Indie Next bestseller, and Amazon's Best Fiction Book of 2017. It was named a best book of the year by over 25 publications, the winner of the Ohioana Award and the Goodreads Readers Choice Award 2017 in Fiction, and has spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. Little Fires Everywhere has been adapted as a limited series on Hulu, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. She is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. Recommended Books: Jason Mott, Hell of a Book Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Woman of Light  Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celeste Ng is the author of three novels, Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Her first novel, Everything I Never Told You (2014), was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book of 2014, Amazon's #1 Best Book of 2014, and named a best book of the year by over a dozen publications. Her second novel, Little Fires Everywhere (2017) was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 Indie Next bestseller, and Amazon's Best Fiction Book of 2017. It was named a best book of the year by over 25 publications, the winner of the Ohioana Award and the Goodreads Readers Choice Award 2017 in Fiction, and has spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. Little Fires Everywhere has been adapted as a limited series on Hulu, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. She is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. Recommended Books: Jason Mott, Hell of a Book Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Woman of Light  Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Celeste Ng is the author of three novels, Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Her first novel, Everything I Never Told You (2014), was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book of 2014, Amazon's #1 Best Book of 2014, and named a best book of the year by over a dozen publications. Her second novel, Little Fires Everywhere (2017) was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 Indie Next bestseller, and Amazon's Best Fiction Book of 2017. It was named a best book of the year by over 25 publications, the winner of the Ohioana Award and the Goodreads Readers Choice Award 2017 in Fiction, and has spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. Little Fires Everywhere has been adapted as a limited series on Hulu, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. She is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. Recommended Books: Jason Mott, Hell of a Book Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Woman of Light  Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-american-studies

Celeste Ng is the author of three novels, Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Her first novel, Everything I Never Told You (2014), was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book of 2014, Amazon's #1 Best Book of 2014, and named a best book of the year by over a dozen publications. Her second novel, Little Fires Everywhere (2017) was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 Indie Next bestseller, and Amazon's Best Fiction Book of 2017. It was named a best book of the year by over 25 publications, the winner of the Ohioana Award and the Goodreads Readers Choice Award 2017 in Fiction, and has spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. Little Fires Everywhere has been adapted as a limited series on Hulu, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. She is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. Recommended Books: Jason Mott, Hell of a Book Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Woman of Light  Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

Celeste Ng is the author of three novels, Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Her first novel, Everything I Never Told You (2014), was a New York Times bestseller, a New York Times Notable Book of 2014, Amazon's #1 Best Book of 2014, and named a best book of the year by over a dozen publications. Her second novel, Little Fires Everywhere (2017) was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 Indie Next bestseller, and Amazon's Best Fiction Book of 2017. It was named a best book of the year by over 25 publications, the winner of the Ohioana Award and the Goodreads Readers Choice Award 2017 in Fiction, and has spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. Little Fires Everywhere has been adapted as a limited series on Hulu, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. She is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. Recommended Books: Jason Mott, Hell of a Book Gabrielle Zevin, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Woman of Light  Chris Holmes is Chair of Literatures in English and Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He writes criticism on contemporary global literatures. His book, Kazuo Ishiguro as World Literature, is under contract with Bloomsbury Publishing. He is the co-director of The New Voices Festival, a celebration of work in poetry, prose, and playwriting by up-and-coming young writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

My guest today is Mary Laura Philpott. We chat about parenting, indie bookshops, meditation, and her latest memoir, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives.Mary Laura Philpott is the author of the brand-new memoir, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives (April 2022), which has been called a “masterwork” and named an Editor's Choice by the New York Times Book Review, an Indie Next pick by booksellers nationwide, an Amazon Editor's Choice selection, and a best book of the spring or most anticipated book of the year by publications ranging from the Washington Post to the Read with Jenna community on TODAY.com, among others. She is also the author of the national bestseller I Miss You When I Blink — which was named one of NPR's Favorite Books of 2019 and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her writing has been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other publications. Additionally, Mary Laura is a former bookseller and was an Emmy-winning co-host of A Word on Words, the literary interview program on Nashville Public Television. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.Mary Laura PhilpottBomb Shelter: Love Time, and Other Explosives, Mary Laura PhilpottParnassus Books - Shop Dog DiariesPenguins With People Problems, Mary Laura PhilpottI Miss You When I Blink, Mary Laura PhilpottBooks by Jennifer CloseBooks by Emma StraubBooks by Katie CrouchLessons in Chemistry, Bonnie GarmusThe Chicken Sisters, KJ Dell'AntoniaSupport the show

In Episode 110, Mary Laura Philpott (author of Bomb Shelter) joins me for a deep dive into the memoir & essays genre, including the differences between a memoir and an essay collection, the level of involvement from editors and publishers, and how she personally approaches writing a memoir or essays.  This post contains affiliate links, through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!). Highlights Mary Laura talks about her latest book, Bomb Shelter. Where memoirs and essay collections fall on a spectrum. The fluidity of genre-labeling books. A bit about cover design and subtitles. How Mary Laura feels about the “Literary” label. The planning of an essay collection and their overarching themes. Balancing living life for its own sake and living life for good book content. How Mary Laura handles telling personal stories and the real people they feature. How Mary Laura handles memory and recall in her work. The fact-checking process for memoirs and essays. Mary Laura's Book Recommendations [32:31] Two OLD Books She Loves Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell | Amazon | Bookshop.org [32:47] Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford | Amazon | Bookshop.org [34:57] Two NEW Books She Loves Let's Not Do That Again by Grant Ginder | Amazon | Bookshop.org [38:49] Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close (April 26) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [40:30] The CURRENT READING TREND She DOESN'T Love [45:35] One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub (May 17) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:15] Last 5-Star Book Mary Laura Read Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:03] Other Books Mentioned I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott [1:02] Raven Rock by Garrett Graff [30:14] The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett Graff [30:20] A Million Little Pieces by James Frey [32:23] The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close [42:03] Little Women by Louisa May Alcott [47:42] Siracusa by Delia Ephron [51:24] About Mary Laura Philpott Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Mary Laura Philpott is the author of the brand-new memoir, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives, which has been named an Indie Next pick by booksellers nationwide, an Amazon Editor's Choice selection, and a best book of the spring or most anticipated book of the year by publications ranging from the Washington Post to TODAY.com, among others. She is also the author of the national bestseller I Miss You When I Blink — which was named one of NPR's Favorite Books of 2019 and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her writing has been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other publications. Additionally, Mary Laura (yes, she goes by both names) is a former bookseller and was an Emmy-winning co-host of A Word on Words, the literary interview program on Nashville Public Television. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.