Podcasts about mighty blaze

Best-selling ghostwriter Elisa Ung credits her lifelong love of musicals with gifting her the tools she relies on in her collaborative work. "They've taught me to listen for rhythms and cadences in authors' voices," she writes. "They help me understand how to respect readers by telling the most powerful story in the least amount of time." Elisa's path to this type of storytelling might seem familiar to As Told To listeners, but she has walked it with a song in her heart… and an appetite for the stories we share at the family table, and in our family kitchens. A former news reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, where she covered the city's Oxycontin epidemic in the early 2000s and reported from New York City in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, she traded her nose for hard news for a decade-long gig as a restaurant critic for the Bergen Record. From there, she discovered a passion for writing about food—and about people who live their lives surrounded by food. She is the co-author of the memoir-driven cookbook Mango and Peppercorns, with noted American chef Tung Nguyen, winner of the 2022 IACP award for Literary or Historical Food Writing; and, Gursha: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens, from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem, and Beyond, a 2025 New York Times  "Best Cookbook of 2025" selection, with Beejhy Barhany, chef and owner of Harlem's celebrated Tsion Café.  Her 2024 collaboration with food and wellness blogger Monique Volz, The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook, was a New York Times best-seller. Join us for a delicious reflection on what it takes for a journalist to empower her subjects, from diverse backgrounds, to sit down to table and share their own stories. Learn more about Elisa Ung: Website Instagram Threads Facebook Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Andy Awards Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

"Sometimes my memories feel like a dream," writes Brandy, the Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and actress, in collaboration with New York Times best-selling author and As Told To podcast guest Gerrick Kennedy. In this "Between the Lines" episode, we revisit a passage from Brandy's just-published memoir Phases, in which she reflects on the inspiration for her title. As you listen, consider what it takes for an accomplished journalist to help give singular voice to such a singular voice, while working to stitch a lifetime of dream-like memories into a compelling narrative. Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Andy Awards Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

"You're a co-pilot, you are a therapist, you are an archivist," reflects journalist and cultural critic Gerrick Kennedy of his role as a ghostwriter. Kennedy is the co-author of the just-published memoir Phases, from singer, songwriter and actress Brandy—an immediate #1 New York Times best-seller. He is the author of two previous books, and his work has appeared in a variety of publications, including Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, GQ, Men's Health, Spin, and Playboy. A former staff writer for The Los Angeles Times, where he covered pop music and culture, Kennedy was honored in 2012 with an Emerging Journalist of the Year award by the National Association of Black Journalists. Regarding his current collaboration with Brandy, he had known the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning artist for several years before they decided to work together on her memoir—and after his first few ghostwriting assignments, he's still getting used to his emerging role as the caretaker of someone else's story. "You wear so many hats when you are doing a collaborative project," he says. "There are so many conversations that you have with a person, and so much of it is going to be, 'This is me releasing it, and I don't want to hold this myself anymore… and now you can carry it with you, but it's not for the book.' It gives you context. It gives you ideas. It gives you understanding. But it ultimately just ends up becoming another secret." Join us as we consider what it takes to honor your subject's privacy while finding a way to attach those "secrets" to a public-facing narrative. Learn more about Gerrick Kennedy: Website Instagram Threads Twitter Facebook Didn't We Almost Have It All Parental Discretion is Advised Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Andy Awards Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My one-on-one with Courtney Maum, re her latest novel Alan Opts Out. We covered: (1) The longing for the better aspects of the pandemic, when the whole world, for one brief moment, opted out, (2) her lifelong struggles with plot, and (3) the most important rule for a writer: don't be ruled by envy. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

In this "Between the Lines" episode, we look back at Harvey Araton's 2011 classic When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks. In any other NBA post-season, Harvey's latest book, The Goal of the Game, a soccer novel for young adults about a seventh-grader who discovers the power of the beautiful game to hurt and to heal, would be spotlighted here. But as the 2025-26 Knicks continue to fight for an NBA championship, we turn our attention to Harvey's thrilling reflection on the franchise's championship teams from the early 1970s. As many basketball fans know, When the Garden Was Eden was later adapted for an ESPN "30 for 30" documentary, which Harvey co-produced. Join us as As Told To host Daniel Paisner reads from the book's prologue—and then, dip into our show archives and listen to our full interview with Harvey Araton, a veteran sportswriter whose work continues to remind us that some of the most vibrant, most moving writing can be found in and around the sports pages. Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Andy Awards Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

Harvey Araton is not quite ready to set down his pen. After covering sports for more than 40 years for the Staten Island Advance, the New York Post, the New York Daily News and The New York Times, where he served as a "Sports of the Times" columnist for more than 15 years, he continues to write. His latest book, The Goal of the Game, a soccer novel for young adults about a seventh-grader who discovers the power of the beautiful game to hurt and to heal, was just published by Koehler Books. The book takes its place on Harvey's ever-expanding bookshelf alongside one of his best-known books, When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks, which was later adapted for an ESPN "30 for 30" documentary, and now appears especially relevant as the Knicks are once again captivating Madison Square Garden crowds in pursuit of another championship. Throughout his career, Harvey has written mostly about basketball, but he's also written about baseball—never more compellingly than in his New York Times best-selling book, Driving Mr. Yogi, about the unlikely friendship between Yankee legend Yogi Berra and then Yankee ace Ron Guidry. He's also covered 10 Olympic games, the Super Bowl, and virtually every major tennis tournament, and contributed regularly to every section of the newspaper, including the obituary section, where he continues to write advance obits for many of the athletes he used to cover. Join us for a conversation on what it takes to report on the athletes who roam our fields of play, and to be on the constant lookout for ways to write about sports that transcend the game and speak into the human condition. Learn more about Harvey Araton: Website Instagram Facebook Our Last Season: A Writer, a Fan, a Friendship Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Andy Awards Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My interview with ESPN/The Ringer writer Jordan Ritter Conn about his new work of narrative non-fiction, American Men. We covered: (1) How men cope with the gap between who they truly are and their ideal of masculinity, (2) what the manosphere tells men they need, versus what they *actually* need to lead fulfilling lives, and (3) how the most important thing men need to realize is that they can't do it alone. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

Join us for our "Between the Lines" feature, as we shine an extra shaft of light on the work of our podcast guest. In this installment, we're highlighting a memoir entitled The Maple Crew, by pioneering filmmaker Jessie Maple, written in collaboration with As Told To podcast guest E. Danielle Butler. The book stands on Danielle's bookshelf as a compelling example of her work, and her commitment to capturing the voices of men and women who inspire her and crafting those voices into stories that can inspire others. For more on the life and career of Jessie Maple, you can check out her New York Times obituary, and visit the Criterion Channel to screen two of her best-known films—including "Will", the first independent feature-length film directed by an African-American woman. Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

Narratives that matter. That's the lane currently occupied by "collaborative storyteller" E. Danielle Butler, co-author of more than two dozen books, many of them written with business executives, pioneering artists, and faith leaders, helping to translate lived experience into lasting legacy. It's a path she didn't know she was meant to walk. In fact, she didn't even know what a ghostwriter was until she became one. "But what I can trace throughout my life are threads of Black writers and storytellers weaving humanity and justice together," she writes. "Our words are creation. For centuries, we've used them to ignite movements, capture legacies, and cement ideas." Over the course of her ghostwriting career, Danielle has given voice to men and women who inspire her, and she has made it her mission to ensure that their lives and careers can inspire others—as she set out to do in the book she co-authored with the trailblazing camerawoman Jessie Maple. Her forthcoming collaboration, Finding God Every Day, written with child star and "Kid Pastor" Luke Tillman, will be published this fall by Zonderkids, the children's division of Zondervan Publishing. Join us for an inspiring conversation on what it takes to shine meaningful light on lives well and purposefully lived… through story.  Learn more about E. Danielle Butler: Website Instagram LinkedIn Facebook "The Maple Crew" Jessie Maple Collection on the Criterion Channel Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My talk with a true American Rambler, Isaac Fitzgerald, whose latest is about walking in the footsteps of folklore icon Johnny Appleseed. We chatted re: (1) the tradition of literary quests in search of the spirit of America, (2) how the *real* America ain't what's on your screens, and (3) why the book publishing industry is not in the danger people say—books still make lots of money and *no one* wants their great literature written by AI. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

In our latest "Between the Lines" installment, we shine a light on the best-selling collection of inspirational profiles by former "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell – the New York Times best-seller We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, written with journalist and author Kate Andersen Brower. Brower, our current podcast guest, a former White House reporter for Bloomberg News, has written for The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Time, and The Washington Post. She is also the author of several books of her own, including the #1 New York Times best-seller The Residence, which was adapted into the hit Netflix series of the same name by producer Shonda Rhimes, as well as numerous other books, including First Women, First in Line, and Team of Five. As she shares in our As Told To conversation, We the Women is her first collaboration, but it is not so very far removed from her work as a political reporter, and as a seasoned chronicler of lives lived in and around our seats of power. Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

We're back with the second installment of our new "Between the Lines" feature here at the podcast factory—a bridge to take listeners from our current As Told To episode to our next installment.  Here's a passage from Arsenio: A Memoir, the latest collaboration from podcast guest Alan Eisenstock. The book, an immediate New York Times best-seller, chronicles the life and career of comedian and pioneering talk show host Arsenio Hall. In it, you'll hear ghostwriter and subject take a wistful look back to a time when the idea of hosting a talk show was "a crazy, ridiculous, impossible dream."   Why not double-back and listen to our conversation with Alan Eisenstock, for more on Arsenio Hall's unlikely journey, and more on what it takes to turn one successful writing career into an entirely other successful writing career?  Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My interview with Dr. Brennan Spiegel on his new book, Pull, about how to overthrow our oldest oppressor—gravity. We discussed: (1) how your relationship with gravity impacts your health—both mind and body; (2) how becoming gravity-resilient is a goal we all should shoot for, and (3) tips for writing lucid, compelling non-fiction, and making complicated scientific issues easy for the lay reader to grasp. Bonus—a hidden talent for beatboxing may be revealed (!!!) Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

What happens when a ghostwriter/collaborator looks on as the subject of her latest book becomes the lede of a story neither one of them set out to tell? That's the question at the heart of this conversation with journalist Kate Andersen Brower, co-author of the New York Times best-seller We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, written with "60 Minutes" correspondent and former "CBS Evening News" anchor Norah O'Donnell. We the Women presents a vivid portrait of the unsung women throughout American history who have changed the ways we work and live—a book Melinda French Gates calls "a vital reminder of the importance of women's contributions to our history, and a call to action for anyone committed to carrying forward the work that they began." About that call to action: in the aftermath of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 25, 2026, O'Donnell sat with President Trump for a lengthy "60 Minutes" interview, during which the president berated her for having the temerity to ask him to respond to the gunman's manifesto. The president called her "horrible" and "a disgrace." O'Donnell pushed back, and by the Monday morning of our podcast interview, the heated exchange was making headlines and filling social media feeds all over the world. "It was tremendous to watch," observes Brower, "and I hope that it inspired some younger women watching to want to become journalists, and to want to ask these tough questions." Kate Andersen Brower knows what it means to work the political beat. A former White House reporter for Bloomberg News during the Obama administration, she has written for The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Time, and The Washington Post. She is the author of the #1 New York Times best-seller The Residence, which was adapted into the hit Netflix series of the same name by producer Shonda Rhimes, as well as numerous other books, including First Women, First in Line, and Team of Five. Join us for a candid conversation on what it takes to speak truth to power—and then, to find a way to write about it. Learn more about Kate Andersen Brower: Website Instagram  Facebook  Substack Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit & Glamour of an Icon Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

"Did I do that?" Yes, in fact, he did. After a successful career as a writer on hit sitcoms like "Mork and Mindy," "The Nanny," and "Married with Children," podcast guest Alan Eisenstock managed to step from television writing rooms and reinvent himself as one of the publishing industry's most sought-after collaborators.  His most recent books include New York Times best-selling memoir Life's Too Short, written with Darius Rucker; Hang Time: My Life in Basketball, with NBA legend Elgin Baylor; the crime novel Flipping Boxcars, with Cedric the Entertainer; and the just-published memoir Arsenio, with comedian and pioneering talk show host Arsenio Hall—an immediate New York Times best-seller. "It was great, it was lucrative," he writes of his television career, which included a memorable turn behind the scenes of the ABC sitcom "Family Ties," where he came up with one of the most famous catch-phrases in television history—delivered in almost every episode by the show's breakout character Urkel, played by Jaleel White. "But I longed to return to my first love, writing prose, seeing my words in print, full-time." Join us for a conversation on what it takes for a writer to leap from the top of the Nielsen ratings to the New Releases table at the local bookstore, and to give enduring voice to some of our leading artists, athletes, newsmakers, and influencers.  Learn more about Alan Eisenstock: Website Raiders: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

"Memory without responsibility is just nostalgia," reflects podcast guest Doron Keren, the keeper of his family's harrowing Holocaust survival story. "Someone has to make sure that stories like this live and are experienced by future generations." Keren, a retired dentist, has determined to do just that, working tirelessly to help shepherd first his mother's story (The Girl in the Green Sweater, by Krystyna Chiger, co-written with podcast host Daniel Paisner), and now his grandfather's memoir, (Beneath the Lightless Sky, by Ignacy Chiger), to bookstore shelves. His grandfather's gripping, historically significant account, just published by Amsterdam Publishers, revisits Ignacy Chiger's desperate struggle to evade Nazi persecution in wartime Lvov, Poland, where he hid with his family for 14 months in the city's underground sewers, with the help of an unlikely hero. The book stands as a compelling companion piece to Krystyna Chiger's 2008 international best-seller, the inspiration behind the 2011 film "In Darkness," from acclaimed Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Time magazine film critic Richard Corliss called the movie "a thrilling adventure picture—as if Anne Frank had found an Inglourious Basterd to help her make 'The Great Escape.'" In his foreword to Beneath the Lightless Sky, Keren calls his grandfather "a real-life superhero"—a description that is well-earned. "[He] outwitted interrogators," Keren writes, "evaded deportation, engineered the survival of a small underground community, and kept alive the faintest flicker of hope in a place where even light could not enter." Join us as Keren shares what it was like to grow up beneath the shadow of the Holocaust, and what it means to keep sharing the stories that give our lives shape and meaning. Learn more about Beneath the Lightless Sky: Facebook page Instagram page Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

This week my guest is internationally bestselling author Jenna Blum. Jenna's books include “Those Who Save Us,” “The Storm Chasers,” and “The Lost Family.” Her newest book is a psychological thriller called “Murder Your Darlings,” which involves authors, book tours, deadlines, love, and stalkers.Jenna is the co-founder of A Mighty Blaze, an online author interview company, which if you're listening to this podcast, I know you will love the interviews that they put out. And she has taught at Grub Street Writers in Boston for years. Many of the authors I've interviewed on this show have taken classes with Jenna and/or worked with her at A Mighty Blaze. She's a true supporter of writers, readers, and booksellers alike. As evidence of this fact, for her first novel, “Those Who Save Us,” Jenna visited over 800 book clubs in the Boston area alone.We covered:- How she caught the writing bug from her dad, who wrote the news for Walter Cronkite- Applying to grad school five times before she was accepted- Why she's still committed to writing and teaching now that she's a few decades in- What gives her hope about the future of writing and reading books- Accepting your own creative process–especially when it doesn't look like what you think it should- The value of talking about your ideas with people you trust, without sharing so much that you lose the drive to get it on the page- How her creative process is like a volcano- How writing is like making sausage- The parts of the writing process that happen only in her head- Why her first drafts look like instructions for assembling IKEA furniture- What she does right before she goes to sleep that helps her dive back into the writing the next dayVisit Jenna at JennaBlum.com, Substack (Writer Girl in the World), Facebook (Jenna Blum author), or Instagram (Jenna_Blum).For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.Thank you for listening! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"It's a constant hustle," reflects podcast guest John Rosengren on the life of a freelance journalist. "Ginning up ideas, developing them into pitches, sending them around, facing rejection… sometimes it can wear me down." But sometimes, too, it can be endlessly rewarding, as we can hear as John looks back on a rich, wildly prolific journalism career. Over the years, John's articles have appeared in The Atavist, GQ, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Men's Health, and The Washington Post Magazine. His 2016 expose on the ways casinos enable gambling addicts, originally published in The Atlantic, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Magazine Award, and earned John the Donald Robinson Award from the American Society of Journalists & Authors. John is also the author of more than a dozen books, including a thoroughgoing account of an indelible moment in baseball history—The Fight of Their Lives: How Juan Marichal and John Roseboro Turned Baseball's Ugliest Brawl into a Story of Forgiveness and Redemption. As a ghostwriter, he collaborated on the brutally honest memoir of former NFL player Esera Tuaolo—Alone in the Trenches: My Life as a Gay Man in the NFL. Join us for a compelling conversation on what it takes to make it as a freelancer always looking in out-of-the-way places for the next great untold story. Learn more about John Rosengren: Website Facebook LinkedIn Please support the sponsors who support our show: Surfers Healing Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My talk with National Book Award-nominee Andrew Krivak, discussing his latest novel, Mule Boy, a book that Publishers Weekly called "flawless." We covered (1) the importance of wrestling with the old, hard, elemental questions through words; (2) the pride of 20th century coal miners, who loved their treacherous work; and (3) how Andrew learned to tell stories from his grandmother, the one who really made him into a writer. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

Award-winning music journalist, critic and artist development consultant Holly Gleason returns to the podcast for a solo outing to discuss her eclectic and electric career as one of the music industry's leading voices. Over the years, she has written for Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Playboy, Spin, and the Miami Herald.  Holly's most recent collaboration, the #1 New York Times best-selling memoir Heart Life Music, written with country music superstar Kenny Chesney, has helped to cement Holly's reputation as an in-demand ghostwriter who pushes her subjects to reflect on life, music, and the vagaries of fame.    She is the co-author of the best-selling, story-laden cookbook Y'all Eat Yet?: Welcome to the Pretty B*tchin' Kitchen, with Miranda Lambert, and editor of the acclaimed compilations Prine on Prine: Interviews and Encounters with John Prine, and Woman Walk the Line: How the Women in Country Music changed Our Lives. The recipient of the 2023 LA Press Club's Entertainment Journalist of the Year and 2024 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism's Independent Journalist awards, Holly lives and works in Nashville, Tenn., where she occasionally writes lyrics (as "Lady Goodman") with such noted songwriters as Rodney Crowell, Bill Deasy, Travis Hill, and the late Guy Clark. Learn more about Holly Gleason: Website Facebook Instagram Threads Please support the sponsors who support our show: Surfers Healing Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

As a freelance writer, Jenna Glatzer has lent her voice to books, articles, essays, blog posts, scripts—even greeting cards and doormats, she's proud to say. She is the author or co-author of more than 35 books, many of them written in collaboration with some of our leading actors, athletes, CEOs, models, reality television stars, medical professionals and news personalities. Oh, and Celine Dion! (How's that for a ghostwriting credit?)   Jenna joins us on the podcast to discuss the very many twists and turns her career has taken over the years, including a discouraging turn of late as she struggles with a debilitating vocal disorder known as sulcus vocalis, which since 2022 has made it difficult for her to speak—which in turn has made it difficult for her to work as a collaborative writer. "I built up a career as a ghostwriter for 20 years," she shares, "and lost it in a day."   Join us as Jenna reflects on what it means for a writer with a gift for capturing the voices of others to be unable to harness her own voice, as she looks ahead to the ways she might re-imagine her many gifts as a storyteller and resume her career as one of publishing's most in-demand ghostwriters.   Learn more about Jenna Glatzer: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My probing discussion with Christopher Castellani re his brand-new literary/true crime novel Last Seen. We discussed (1) the Smiley Face Murder Theory, (2) how understanding the motives of your narrator is the key to any story, and (3) the real reason why some writers give up, and some keep going. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

Author Jenna Blum (The Lost Family, Woodrow on the Bench) returns to the show and chats with Daniel Ford about her thriller debut Murder Your Darlings. To learn more about Jenna Blum, visit her official website, check out A Mighty Blaze, and listen to our previous interview with the author. This episode is sponsored by Libro.fm and the Is It Streaming podcast, the newest addition to the Writer's Bone Podcast Network.

What makes a good New Yorker cartoon? More to the point, who makes a good New Yorker cartoon? In our latest episode of As Told To: The Ghostwriting Podcast, we visit with the magazine's self-described "toonsome twosome," the cartooning team of Bizzy Coy and Lia Strasser, and discover what it takes to tap the talents of a like-minded soul to help you discover your best creative self.  "It was out of frustration that I reached out to Bizzy," reflects Lia, the illustrator of this dynamic duo. "I was struggling in the sense that I'd had these ideas that I thought were great and these drawings that I'd thought were great and I'd been submitting to the New Yorker for about a year and nothing was hitting, and a friend of mine suggested I find a writing partner, and of course my ego felt a little dented by that." "I think it took us maybe even a year to even establish, 'What is our creative dynamic?'" recalls Bizzy Coy, the humor writer of the pair. "And it's constantly changing." Lia is a cartoonist, graphic designer, and visual essayist whose work explores narrative illustration at the intersection of politics, culture, and personal history. She is also a kick-ass barista in Sullivan County, N.Y., where her latte foam art is much in demand. Bizzy is an advertising and marketing copywriter who has contributed humor writing to the New Yorker and McSweeney's.  Her short humor collection, Personal Space, is a compilation of her favorite pieces, which originally appeared in the above-mentioned publications, and in Splitsider, Points in Case, The Belladonna, and The Establishment. Join us as these two friends and collaborators talk toons, reflect on how they've come together as artists, and share their thoughts on what New Yorker readers find funny. (Oh, and you just might come away with a tip or two on how to game the magazine's popular "Cartoon Caption" contest.)  Learn more about our guests: Lia's Website Lia's Instagram Bizzy's Website Bizzy's Instagram Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My chat with "overnight success" and One Story editor-in-chief Patrick Ryan, who published his debut novel for adults, Buckeye, at 60 years old, and it became the runaway hit of last year.  We discussed (1) how novels have the unique ability to present audiences with the grand sweep of time; (2) what was different about Buckeye from the six or seven novels he wrote before it that didn't get published; and (3) his long, twisty journey to literary stardom late in life, a tale full of gratitude and fortitude, one that gives nourishment and hope to any aspiring artist. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

"This is the best book about how it used to be," writes the influential music critic and record industry analysts Bob Lefsetz, in praise of Paul Rappaport's wild ride of a memoir, Gliders Over Hollywood: Airships, Airplay and the Art of Rock Promotion. "[It's] the only book I can remember that truly details what it was like inside the star factory." After a career spanning more than three decades in rock promotion at Columbia Records, "Rap" knows as much as anyone what it takes to launch a new act, pump up a new record, or beat the drums on behalf of a world tour. Before capping his career at the label as a senior vice president, he had played a pivotal role in shaping and re-shaping the careers of some of the biggest stars in the business, including artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Elvis Costello, and the Boomtown Rats. "I'm a storyteller," he explains, of the many ways he tried to frame the stories of the musicians on his roster. "We were making it up as we went along, and the characters were everywhere—not just the artists, but the behind-the-scenes people, the managers. No one had captured anything… I started thinking if I don't write this down now, I don't know how long I'll have these memories. But I have them now, so that's why a book, and why now." Upon leaving Columbia, Rap formed his own production company, Tres Hombres, and for many years wrote the "Backstage Access" block for Classics du Jour. He was the lead guitarist in the pioneering Los Angeles punk band Mogan David & His Winos. Join us for a frenzied and free-wheeling look back at the glory days of rock 'n roll, as Rap reflects on the writing of his first book, and a culture-stamping career that gifted him the chance to eat latkes with Lou Reed, receive a backstage guitar lesson from Keith Richards, talk Bob Dylan down from writer's block, and trade licks onstage with David Gilmour in a once-in-a-lifetime turn as a featured guest of Pink Floyd. Learn more about Paul Rappaport: Website Facebook Instagram Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

New York Times bestselling author, Jenna Blum, discusses her latest release, MURDER YOUR DARLINGS. When mid-career novelist, Sam Vetiver, is swept off her feet by the A-list author of her dreams, his stalker sets out to steal her new found bliss. The twisted triangle takes a dark turn as one author after another dies, making Sam wonder if she'll be next. “…will have you cracking up while you're checking under your bed.”—Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author Listen in as we chat about how vulnerability sometimes makes us targets for predators, physical and emotional isolation, and why I was hoping for a side braid while mulling over the idea of narcissist camp! https://www.mariesutro.com/twisted-passages-podcast https://www.jennablum.com ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JENNA BLUM is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of novels THOSE WHO SAVE US, THE STORMCHASERS, and THE LOST FAMILY; novella “The Lucky One” in anthology GRAND CENTRAL; memoir WOODROW ON THE BENCH; audio course “The Author At Work: The Art of Writing Fiction”; and WWII audio drama THE KEY OF LOVE, available on every major podcast streaming platform. Jenna is one of Oprah's Top Thirty Women Writers, with her work published in over 20 countries, and cofounder/CEO of online author interview platform A Mighty Blaze. Jenna's first novel, THOSE WHO SAVE US, won the Ribalow Prize, awarded by Hadassah Magazine and adjudged by Elie Wiesel, and was a Borders pick and the #1 bestselling novel in Holland. In addition to being a career author, Jenna is a professional public speaker, traveling nationally and internationally to talk about her books and work; a veteran teacher, having taught Creative Writing and novel workshops for Boston University, Grub Street Writers, and other institutions for 25+ years; an editor for Reedsy; and on-air host for A Mighty Blaze. Jenna is based in Boston with her black Lab, Henry Higgins. For more information about Jenna and her adventures, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, and Substack.

Anyone who ever listened to Jenna Blum do interviews on the A Mighty Blaze podcast will not be one bit surprised to hear that we had a great time talking all things writing but most specifically writing BIG—which Jenna has absolutely done with her current book, Murder Your Darlings. Murder Your Darlings is a contemporary thriller and a real departure from Jenna's very popular historical fiction—a departure that's totally in keeping with Jenna's own enthusiastic, passionate personality. As her agent said, her earlier work was elegant and restrained (although still powerful) but in this one Jenna lets herself loose. We had a wonderful time talking about it, and I know you'll have a great time listening. #AmReadingThe Plot and The Sequel, Jean Hanff Korelitz Last Seen, Christopher CastellaniYou, Caroline KepnesJoin Jenna on tour—she's absolutely a joy to listen to on writing and probably any other topic! Dates HERE. And do grab Murder Your Darlings—who doesn't love a tell-all thriller set in this ridiculous industry we all love so much?Hey—if you're reading this in January 2026, it's not too late to join our Blueprint Sprint and get in on a rapid-fire roadmap to writing the book you want to write this year (instead of writing 100K words in search of it… ask me how I know!) First Blueprint post below—upgrade your subscription to get started. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

My fab interview with the legendary Jenna Blum, who's written one of the most purely entertaining books I've read in ages, Murder Your Darlings. I was there for the whole life cycle of this book, from the moment she thought of it, all the way to launch. We discussed: (1) making a mid-career genre pivot, (2) the keys to a good sex scene, and (3) what it means to be writing popcorn-munching, fun-forward fare in times of turmoil. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

"It's off the record until it's on the page." That's a line from our As Told To podcast conversation with award-winning author/ghostwriter Joanne Gordon, reflecting on the level of trust that exists between author and subject in a successful book collaboration. A former staff writer and contributing editor at Forbes, where she wrote about management, career, and workplace issues, Joanne is the author of more than a dozen books, with a focus on helping business and thought leaders elevate their voices and share their stories. She is the co-author, most recently, of Bag Man: The Story Behind the Improbable Rise of Coach, written with former Coach CEO Lew Frankfort—"an illuminating behind-the-scenes look at a global brand's success," according to Publishers Weekly. Joanne has also helped to write books for Ginni Rometty, the former Chairman and CEO of IBM, and Howard Schultz, the founding Chairman and CEO of Starbucks. Her first collaboration, Roadtrip Nation: A Guide to Discovering Your Path in Life, written with Mike Mariner and Nathan Gebhard, grew out of an assignment for Forbes and became the basis for a film documentary and a PBS series. Her own book, Be Happy at Work: 100 Women Who Love Their Jobs and Why, explores how women pursue fulfilling careers. In 2024, Joanne was named by The Information as a "Top Five" ghostwriter of business books and was honored by Gotham Ghostwriters and the American Society of Journalists and Authors with an Andy Award for "Best Business and Thought Leadership Collaboration." for her work on the Rometty memoir, Good Power. Learn more about Joanne Gordon: Website LinkedIn Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

We're a week away from launching our 2026 campaign, beginning with Howard Bryant, author of Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America, but we wanted to dust off our feed and take a moment to celebrate a milestone in the Writer's Bone Podcast Network. Daniel Paisner's podcast As Told To: The Ghostwriting Podcast cracked 100 episodes a couple of months ago and we wanted to share it here and have Paisner on to talk about what it means for him. Original show notes: Nelson and Alex DeMille's The Tin Men is an electrifying read and a chillingly timely one," writes The New York Times best-selling novelist Megan Abbott of the third and final father-son collaboration in the Scott Brodie & Maggie Taylor series. "[It's] both a master-class in suspense and a haunting exploration of the dangers and costs of a surrender to technology, an abandonment of the human." Yes, it is. It's also the final novel from legendary author Nelson DeMille, completed posthumously following his death in September 2024, and a follow-up to the duo's first two collaborations in the series—The Deserter and Blood Lines, both immediate New York Times best-sellers.  Its publication offers Alex DeMille an opportunity to reflect on growing up under the influence of one of our finest storytellers—a backdrop that at first inspired Alex to become a filmmaker. A graduate of the MFA program in film at UCLA, Alex's films have won many awards and fellowships, and have played at festivals worldwide, including "My Nephew Emmett, " which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short in 2018.  "I want to thank my father," he writes in an emotional grace note to the new book, "who might be reading this somewhere among the stars with a good scotch in hand. Thank you for all you've given me, all you've taught me, for your love, your encouragement, for making me laugh and making me think. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for showing me the way. I hope this makes you proud." Learn more about Alex DeMille: Website Instagram Threads Twitter Facebook Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

Welcome to Episode 250! We joke that we turned “250” before “America250,” the moniker given to the United States's anniversary celebration. The country is celebrating 250 years in 2026. This is also our last episode of 2025, and we want to thank you for listening and making this another fantastic year filled with good books and good friends! Some highlights: We have our usual segments in this episode, but first, we review how we did with our reading intentions for 2025. Overall, we did well, even if we had to look in our notes to see what they were! Emily had one that really surprised us, and may have slipped into our subconscious to help create our theme for 2026. What we've read since last time: THE AWARD by Matthew Pearl “A Small, Good Thing” from the collection WHERE I'M CALLING FROM by Raymond Carver JURASSIC GIRL: THE ADVENTURES OF MARY ANNING, PALEONTOLOGIST AND THE FIRST FEMALE FOSSIL HUNTER by Michele C. Hollow THE LAST WITCH by C.J. Cooke “Street Haunting: A London Adventure” from the collection, COLLECTED ESSAYS by Virginia Woolf A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens (the audio version narrated by Ralph Cosham) SAPPHIRA AND THE SLAVE GIRL by Willa Cather In Biblio Adventures, Chris watched Hank Phillipi Ryan's excellent interview with Matthew Pearl about his new novel, THE AWARD, on A MIGHTY BLAZE. Emily spent a week in the Big Apple and visited the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, Café Con Libros in Crown Heights, and Bibliotheque NYC in Soho. We talk about our 2026 theme: books/stories with movie/TV adaptations. Our first quarter readalong pick is FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley. The Zoom discussion will be in March; the exact date is TBD. We'll use #booktofilm2026 as our official hashtag. Reminder: if you played Ghost Story Bingo with us this year, email us an image of your card by midnight on 12/31/2025. Happy Listening and Happy Reading!

This episode originally aired on June 7, 2022. Two-time Emmy Award-winner Bruce Vilanch has written jokes for Bob Hope, Lily Tomlin, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and virtually every Hollywood star to grace the Academy Awards stage from 1989 – 2014.  As one of the entertainment industry's most sought-after joke writers, the actor, comedian and songwriter was perhaps best-known to audiences for his work behind-the-scenes at the Oscars, supplying one-liners to hosts and presenters. (Oscar-watchers are still talking about the year Jack Palance did push-ups on the stage, and the time Rob Lowe went rolling down the river with Snow White – two moments that left Bruce and his fellow writers scrambling backstage to help viewers make sense of it all.)  Over the years, Bruce became a familiar face to television audiences, when he stepped from behind the curtain for a long-running stint as a celebrity panelist on "Hollywood Squares," where he also served as head writer. As such, he is uniquely positioned to offer note and comment on what it takes to craft topical material for some of our leading personalities – honing his own voice as a comedian and performer while honoring the voices of his famous clients. Bruce was the subject of the 1999 documentary "Get Bruce!", and he has played himself in the movies and on television, including a memorable turn in an episode of "The Simpsons." Join us for an outrageous discussion on Bruce's adventures (and, misadventures) in Hollywood, including the inside story behind one of the most notorious flops in the history of prime-time network television (1978's "'Star Wars' Holiday Special"), the infamous Friars Club roast that featured Ted Danson in blackface, and a cameo turn from Ira Gershwin who was brought in to rewrite the lyrics to a song called "Treat Me Rough" for Marie Osmond, in hopes of slipping the number past the Morman elders who handled censorship duties on the "Donny & Marie" variety show.  Learn more about Bruce Vilanch: Website Twitter It Seemed Like a Bad Idea at the Time: The Worst TV Shows in History and Other Things I Wrote Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

Join podcast host Daniel Paisner as he moderates a panel discussion at the second annual Gathering of the Ghosts ghostwriting conference earlier this year.   Dan is joined by former As Told To guests Jodi Lipper, Lisa Dickey, and Ellen Daly, as the veteran collaborators compare notes on craft and process—a fun, spirited, insightful reflection on the very many ways authors and journalists are writing in collaboration.  Learn more: Ellen Daly Jodi Lipper Lisa Dickey Gotham Ghostwriters Kevin Anderson & Associates Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My galvanizing 1:1 with one of the coolest writers out there, Ottessa Moshfegh. We discussed: (1) what happens when an artist is open about their world-sized ambitions; (2) the connection between the artist and the "god" (for lack of a better word) of creativity; and (3) how to create the kind of art that Mick Jagger himself recommends: the kind that "achieves madness." Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

"As a ghostwriter, I've trained my ear to listen for what's really there or not there, to discern what's underneath or between someone's words," writes veteran collaborator Samantha Rose, in her stirring, soaring new memoir Giving Up the Ghost: A Daughter's Memoir. "I hear what's implied, what's withheld…" Samantha's gifts as a storyteller are very much on display in the pages of her new book—a heartbreaking account of her mother's suicide, published earlier this year by Sybilline Press. An Emmy Award-winning television writer and a New York Times best-selling collaborator, Samantha has written extensively in the areas of spirituality, health and wellness, personal growth and parenting. Her books have been translated into more than 20 foreign languages and have been featured selections of Reese's Book Club and Target's Bookmarked Book Club.  She is the principal of literary development and the head of client relations for Yellow Sky Media, her boutique editorial agency in Petaluma, Calif. Learn more about Samantha Rose: Website Instagram Facebook Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My talk with Oscar-nominated director ("Sugarcane") and first time author Julian Brave NoiseCat, on his new memoir/"coyote story" We Survived The Night. We discussed (1) a father son saga so improbable, it almost requires a higher power to explain it, (2) the haunting legacy of indigenous genocide at mission schools, and (3) the healing power of myth...in particular, how the oral tradition of the trickster coyote can bring reconciliation and understanding to the world. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

My electrifying interview with Elaine Castillo, author of Moderation, which the New Yorker called "one of the best books of the year." We discussed (1) the psychological hellscape of the content moderator, one of the worst jobs on earth; (2) the redemptive power of VR therapeutics, and (3) how the most interesting kinds of characters are often those who are certain they are right, but are absolutely wrong. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

My chat with Jon Hickey, author of the timely debut novel Big Chief, a study of big egos, bad blood, and mudslinging reservation politics. We discussed: (1) the power of belonging, and how it drives power stuggles; (2) the sorrow of losing touch with your culture, and (3) the patient work of trying to make characters come alive on the page. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

Student journalist and first-time documentary filmmaker Matthew Winkler joins us to discuss his work on a film chronicling the life and career of Joya Sherrill, an unsung American jazz vocalist who wrote the lyrics to the Billy Strayhorn standard, "Take the A Train," made famous by the Duke Ellington orchestra. Matthew came across Sherrill's name during his freshman year at Tufts University, while doing research for Boston Globe journalist and noted biographer Larry Tye, who was writing a book about jazz. Matthew, a music and history major, was astonished to discover the small footprint Sherrill had left behind, despite being the first female jazz singer to visit the Soviet Union, accompanying bandleader Benny Goodman, and earning the distinction of being one of Duke Ellington's favorite singers. "Public-facing history is very important to me," Matthew told a reporter for Tufts Now, the university's alumni magazine, in an article detailing how the Tufts undergraduate grew a student research project into a feature-length documentary, with the help of his professors and mentors. "I hope this film will make people know who Joya Sherrill is and why we should care about her. On a broader level, I think a documentary like this will make people realize how easy it is for remarkable figures to fall through the cracks of history." With this conversation, it is hoped, he might also signal to aspiring storytellers how easy it is to keep their eyes and ears open for stories that might move us, inspire us, and enlighten us. Learn more about Matthew Winkler: LinkedIn Five Sisters Productions Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

USA Today bestselling and multiple award-winning author, Hank Phillippi Ryan, discusses her incredible new release, ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS. While traveling from city to city on a whirlwind book tour, a debut author becomes the target of a stalker who wants to expose her darkest secrets. Can she figure out who is after her before she loses everything…including her life? “Engrossing―with a twist that left me reeling!”―Freida McFadden, #1 New York Times bestselling author Listen in as we dive into the nature of author/reader relationships, how her experiences influence as a television reporter influence her outlook on life, and how the most trivial things can turn insidious on book tour! https://www.mariesutro.com/twisted-passages-podcast https://hankphillippiryan.com ABOUT THE AUTHOR: HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is the USA Today bestselling author of 16 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, five Anthonys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, with an unprecedented 37 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors for her groundbreaking journalism and true crime stories. Hank is on the board of International Thriller Writers, a sought-after teacher and keynote speaker, and host of three popular online events: THE BACK ROOM, CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze, and FIRST CHAPTER FUN. She lives in Boston with her husband, a nationally renowned criminal defense attorney.

My interview with one of the queens of Romantasy, Jennifer L. Armentrout, discussing her latest in the bestselling Blood And Ash series. We discussed (1) The psychological underpinnings of popular tropes (The Chosen One, Enemies To Lovers); (2) What she'd fix about publishing (hire editors outside of New York!); and (3) How, exactly, to publish 70 books in under 15 years (Answer: work 12 hour days, seven days a week, and never feel like you've actually made it.) All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

Podcast guest Michael E. Long calls himself “a professional explainer with a restive mind.”   He is just that.   Trained as physicist, Mike is the co-author of the international bestseller The Molecule of More, which has been translated into more than 20 languages, and the sole author of the recently-published follow-up title Taming the Molecule of More.   As a speechwriter, he has written for members of Congress, U.S Cabinet secretaries, presidential candidates, governors, diplomats, and business leaders. As a ghostwriter, he has collaborated on several books of non-fiction. As a playwright, he's had more than two dozen of his shows produced, most on New York stages. He was finalist for the grand prize in screenwriting at the Slamdance Film Festival. A popular keynote speaker, Mr. Long has addressed audiences around the world, including at Oxford University. He teaches writing at Georgetown University, where he is a former director of writing.   The son of a southern preacher, Mike's call to writing found him close to home. “I learned how to write,” he says, “and how words should go together, by listening to the music of my father's voice.”   Join us for a fun, freewheeling conversation on a writing life lived at the crosshairs of the written word and the spoken word.   Learn more about Michael E. Long:  Website Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My *utterly electric* convo with one of the great non-fiction writers and scholars of our time, Stephen Greenblatt. Stephen is the Pulitzer Prize winning/bestselling author of some of my favorite books EVER about literary history (including The Swerve), and he's out now with Dark Renaissance, about the troubled, complex genius of Shakespeare's top rival, Chris Marlowe. We discussed (1) how Marlowe, the same age as the Bard, was a far more important writer than Shakespeare when he was stabbed to death at 29; (2) how Elizabethan London was a North Korea-like tinderbox of political repression and censorship; and (3) how Greenblatt's entire career has been guided by a profound desire to communicate with the great spirits long deceased. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

“No two caregiving journeys are alike,” writes Emma Heming Willis, the wife of actor Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed in 2023 with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), a rare form of dementia affecting behavior, movement and language. “But we are connected by the same unchosen thread.” In The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, Emma writes movingly and hopefully about the blessings and burdens of being thrust into the role of caregiver, emerging as a passionate voice for care partners and families navigating neurodegenerative disease. Together with her collaborator, Michele Bender, she offers an essential blueprint for others confronting some of the same issues facing her own family. “My grief can still paralyze me,” she shares in the pages of the book she wishes someone had handed her when her husband was first diagnosed. “I still have a hard time accepting what is, yet FTD doesn't give you many options. It can suck all the air out of a room. So I've made a choice to pump oxygen back into our lives, for the sake of our girls, Bruce, and me. And to give the middle finger to this disease.” Join us as we visit with Emma Heming Willis and her co-author Michele Bender for a heartbreaking and heart-lifting conversation on what it takes to tap the universal elements in such a deeply personal story—and what it means to step from an unimaginable darkness at home to stand in the world as a light for others. Learn more about our guests: Emma Heming Willis Website Emma Heming Willis Facebook Emma Heming Willis Instagram Michele Bender Website Michele Bender Instagram Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

My chat with God And Sex author Jon Raymond, a book that The New York Times assures "lives up to its epic title." We covered: (1) writing a story that unites the worldviews of his Buddhist father and Jewish mother; (2) drawing inspiration from Graham Greene's classic The End Of The Affair, and (3) how curing writer despair is often a matter of just re-investing yourself in the writer community. The karma is real. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

We're not messing around for the Season 11 Premiere! With more than 130 million of his books published worldwide in 45 languages, David Baldacci is an American literary luminary. We were all on the edge of our seats when he visited A Mighty Blaze to talk with our Thoughtful Bro Mark Cecil about his latest novel, STRANGERS IN TIME, and a lifetime of wonderous writing. Hosted by Trisha Blanchet

My interview with bestselling Whalefall author Daniel Kraus, chatting about his new World War I novel (written entirely in one sentence!), Angel Down. We covered: (1) the Whalefall film adaptation, starring fellow actor (and writer), Josh Brolin; (2) His previous collabs with horror/fantasy legend Guillermo del Toro; and (3) why he never, ever, ever imitates himself, and how tackling new genres and styles is what gives spark to his work. Order Mark's novel Bunyan and Henry. All episodes of The Thoughtful Bro aired live originally on A Mighty Blaze. The Thoughtful Bro is proudly sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

“Pull the heart of your work out of your chest and lay it out there for the gods,” podcast guest Samuel G. Freedman told his Columbia Journalism School graduate students on the first day of his final semester after 35 years of teaching. “That's all I'm asking of you. Not much.”   No, not much. And yet what Sam Freedman asked of his students during his tenure as one of our leading journalism educators was everything. Before his retirement this spring, his popular book-writing seminar led to the publication of 95 books by his students. “He's been the godfather to an awful lot of publishing over the years,” noted Grove Atlantic executive editor George Gibson, in a New York Times profile on Sam's career and his legacy in journalism and publishing. Sam was named the nation's outstanding journalism professor in 1977 by the Society of Professional Journalists and was awarded Columbia University's coveted Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching. A former staff reporter and columnist for The New York Times, his work as appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Tablet, Salon, and New York magazine.     He is the author of 10 acclaimed books, including The Inheritance: How Three Families Moved from Roosevelt to Reagan and Beyond, a 1997 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights; and, Who She Was: My Search for My Mother's Life, which was reissued in a new edition earlier this year.   Learn more about Samuel Freedman: Website Twitter Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount

Jane Leavy is the New York Times best-selling author of Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy, The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood, and The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created. She is also the author of the comic novel Squeeze Play, hailed by Entertainment Weekly as “the best novel ever written about baseball.” A longtime sportswriter and feature writer for The Washington Post, Jane covered baseball, tennis and the Olympics during her tenure at the paper. She also wrote features for the Post's “Style” section on sports, politics and popular culture. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Grantland, The Los Angeles Times, and Tablet.  In her latest book—Make Me Commissioner: I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It—Jane waxes philosophic and not-quite-catastrophic about the game she has loved her entire life, and asks readers to join her in re-imagining the way that game is played, and all the ways we might play it better, or more meaningfully, or more relevantly.  In the book, just published by Grand Central Publishing, she writes movingly and hilariously and insightfully on our national pastime, offering a thinking fan's take on what the game has become, and what the game has lost over the years. Join us for our Season 5 opener, as we visit with one of baseball's biggest fans… and one of publishing's finest storytellers.  Learn more about Jane Leavy: Website Instagram Twitter  Threads Please support the sponsors who support our show: Gotham Ghostwriters' Gathering of the Ghosts Ritani Jewelers Daniel Paisner's Balloon Dog Daniel Paisner's SHOW: The Making and Unmaking of a Network Television Pilot Heaven Help Us by John Kasich Unforgiving: Lessons from the Fall by Lindsey Jacobellis Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Film Freaks Forever! podcast, hosted by Mark Jordan Legan and Phoef Sutton Everyday Shakespeare podcast A Mighty Blaze podcast The Writer's Bone Podcast Network Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount