Podcasts about writers

Bestselling novelist Adele Parks on her writing life, routines and techniques, character work, and creative strategies that have kept her stories fresh and her readership devoted for over two decades.You'll learn:How Adele moved from imitating other writers to trusting her own voice and background.How loss and adversity can shape resilience and urgency in writing.Why Adele treats discipline as a secret weapon and uses daily word targets to deliver a book a year.How to test ideas and use character interviews to build stories.How Adele outlines chapters, tracks point of view balance, and keeps multiple narrators emotionally coherent.The truth about plot in commercial fiction and what to do if you feel like “nothing happens” in your writing.How to handle criticism and reviews while still writing primarily to fulfil yourself.Why Adele writes to connect with readers, what “adding to the sum of happiness” means to her, and how she stays grounded around money and success. Resources and Links:

Welcome everyone to part one of my interview with former Assistant District Attorney, Police Superintendent, Professor, Podcaster, and Author Patrick Welsh. Pat Welsh was an ADA turned cop. During his distinguished career, he rose through the ranks to become superintendent of the Dayton Police Department. He worked and supervised in patrol, investigations, including narcotics and homicide. He received numerous commendations, department citations, and awards of merit. He also taught at the DPD Academy to recruits and in-service. Pat is a graduate of the prestigious FBI National Academy, the Ohio Police Executive Leadership College, and the Secret Service Executive Protection for Command Officers. Retired in 2012 and joined the Southern Police Institute, the University of Louisville as an adjunct instructor/professor, teaching: Legal Issues in Prosecuting Homicides; Leadership; Command Officer Development. From an orphanage in Dublin, Ireland, to the west wing of the White House and everything in between. I had a blast talking Irish and police stuff with Pat. I think you’re going to like it as well. Please enjoy Part One of my interview with Pat Welsh! In today’s episode, we discuss: ·      Being in an orphanage in Ireland and being adopted by an American couple. ·      Going back and visiting the orphanage that he was left at. ·      Discovering and contacting his birth mother and half-sister decades after his adoption. ·      Being served Guinness in the hospital as medicine. ·      Being in a playground accident at age 8 that put him in a coma and wasn’t expected to live. ·      The nun he had as a teacher who used a shillelagh. ·      Going to the FBI leadership academy. ·      Protecting presidents and other VIPs. The real Hillary Clinton and her hatred of law enforcement. ·      His influences that steered him towards the law both as an attorney and a police officer?  ·      How he wound up at the West Wing of the White House?. ·      Why did he go to law school and work in the DA’s office? What was the most rewarding and frustrating parts of that job? What part of the job was not what you expected? How often did you respond to crime scenes? ·      Why he jumped ship and became a police officer.      All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast.      Follow Pat on his LinkedIn page.        Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel! Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!! Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series. Please visit the Cops and Writers website.

This week we roll into the holiday season breaking down another dispatch from our latest whistleblower, exchanging bug adjacent staff picks, all before discussing fitness routines and radicalization, reviewing Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Bugonia'.   Want more? Join the Frightday Society, at http://thefrightdaysociety.org As a Society Member, you'll have access to all Screamium content (Behind the Screams, It's Been a Weird Week, A Conversation With..., Toast to Toast PM with Wine Kelly, Cinema Autopsy, the Writers' Room, bonus episodes of Captain Kelly's Cryptids & Conspiracies, Byron's Serial Corner, and so much more! You'll also be part of our interactive community dedicated to the advancement of horror, hauntings, cryptids, conspiracies, aliens, and true crime. All things frightening. Keep our mini-fridges full of blood...I mean...not blood...normal things that people drink...by going to http://shop.frightday.com Theme music by Yawns Produced by Byron McKoy Follow us in the shadows at the following places:  @byronmckoy @kellyfrightday @frightday This is an Audio Wool Original.

Charlotte overcomes her resistance to novels about sexual abuse in order to read Kate Elizabeth Russell's excellent My Dark Vanessa, after which Jo introduces listeners to the freewheeling criminality of Diane DiMassa's Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian. The ferociously intelligent Torrey Peters then joins for a conversation about plant consciousness and our relationship with the organic world. Other titles mentioned in this episode: Jamie Hood's Trauma Plot, The Incest Diary by Anonymous, Is a River Alive? by Robert MacFarlane, Melanie Challenger's How To Be Animal, Sunaura Taylor's Beasts of Burden, and Merlin Sheldrake's Entangled Life.The Rabindranath Tagore quote that Charlotte gets wrong at the end (I'm sorry! —CS) is:I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.Torrey Peters is the author of the novel Detransition, Baby, which won the 2021 PEN/Hemingway award for debut fiction and was named a Best Book of the Century by the New York Times. Her second book, Stag Dance, was a national bestseller. Please consider supporting our work on Patreon, where you can access additional materials and send us your guest and book coverage requests! Questions and comments can be directed to readingwriterspod at gmail dot com. Outro music by Marty Sulkow and Joe Valle.Charlotte Shane's most recent book is An Honest Woman. Her essay newsletter, Meant For You, can be subscribed to or read online for free, and her social media handle is @charoshane.  Jo Livingstone is a writer who teaches at Pratt Institute. Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com* Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATIONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Jim Nettles is a well-established author of science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fiction. However, in this interview, we delve into another aspect of Jim, as the founder of Author Essentials and Author Essentials Workshops. In this interview, we discuss his book, “Business Essentials for Writers”, and he shares his unique perspective on failure, emphasizing that not trying is the true failure. Additional topics include: - To be successful, though, you've got to understand how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together. - The “myth of the starving artist.” - Four focuses: Mindset; strategy; Tactical Actions; Operational Actions - We discuss the various types of editors and why you might need them. We also clarify editors vs. beta readers - In the new world of self-publishing, why are editors still important - Publicity: obscurity is the enemy of the author Learn more at https://jamespnettles.com/

To get live links to the music we play and resources we offer, visit www.WOSPodcast.comThis show includes the following songs:Anne House - Looking At Stardust FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYFalling into View - On With The Show FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYRae Isla - What If I Die Flying Over Oklahoma FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYDrew Korn - Living In My Mind FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYAliveTeen - Promise FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYNocturnne - If I Were A Bird FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYDiana - Breadcrumbs FOLLOW ON YOUTUBEYou and Your Sister - Island Song FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYCharlsey Miller - The Flower FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYThe Pairs Music - Self-Aware Then Self-Obsessed FOLLOW ON BANDCAMPSummer Grace - Tell Me When FOLLOW ON ITUNESClela Errington - Full Moon Dark Time FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYwriters Charles Austin & Ronnie Bates - Just A Number Feat. Vicky Haylott Victoria Astuto - 111 FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYGoldie - Vertigo FOLLOW ON SPOTIFYFor Music Biz Resources Visit www.FEMusician.com and www.ProfitableMusician.comVisit our Sponsor Profitable Musician Newsletter at profitablemusician.com/joinVisit our Sponsor Bandzoogle at: http://www.bandzoogle.comVisit our Sponsor Mairose at https://linktr.ee/mairose26Visit our Sponsor 39 Sources of Income at profitablemusician.com/incomeVisit www.wosradio.com for more details and to submit music to our review board for consideration.Visit our resources for Indie Artists: https://www.wosradio.com/resourcesBecome more Profitable in just 3 minutes per day. http://profitablemusician.com/join

Grant writers and fundraisers share the same mission, but often work in different corners of the building—and sometimes entirely different worlds. In this Fundraisers Friday convo, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall peel back the curtain on how these two roles can move from quiet coexistence to true collaboration.Julia opens with gratitude—for long standing sponsors who have never tried to steer the show's content, and for a sector that now offers far more professional development than when many fundraisers began. She reflects on her own journey from community fundraising to co-authoring The Architecture of Fundraising with Tony, noting how accessible tools and training could have transformed her early efforts. “I could have raised so much more money for my community if I had been educated,” Julia admits, inviting viewers to keep learning alongside them.Tony adds his perspective from years in executive leadership, where he saw the strain between event heavy fundraising teams and grant writers tucked away in quiet corners—or now, working remotely. He reminds us that grant writing is both demanding and discouraging work, with many applications never funded despite excellent cases. “We have to find ways to continually celebrate the work that's being done by grant writers, whether the grant is being approved or not,” Tony says, naming the emotional labor behind every proposal.Together, Julia and Tony explore how shared language, aligned metrics, and thoughtful use of technology can connect these roles. They talk about separate goals for grants, events, and individual giving, all tied together through dashboards, regular communication, and clear expectations. They even walk through ethical ways to use board and community relationships to support grant applications—without crossing any lines.In the end, this learning session becomes a gratitude filled call to action: respect each lane, build consistent communication, celebrate the wins, and ensure leadership is championing the relationship between grant writers and fundraisers. When those pieces come together, fund development becomes a unified team effort instead of a quiet, siloed grind.#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisersFriday #NonprofitFundraisingFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits! 12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Diane Gottlieb, Jennifer Fliss, and Nina B. Lichtenstein join Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about their work as editors and what they look for in submissions, setting your writing apart, knowing where to omit for maximum impact, the magic of prompts, working with supportive editors, how constraints give us freedom, ordering an essay collection, how stories sustain us, disentangling the artist from politics, allyship, the process of becoming ourselves, celebrating our heritage, the ecosystem of Jewish life, submission calls, and our new anthology Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture and Heritage. Also in this episode: -being seen -writing into joy -being a Jew by choice    Purchase Manna Songs here: https://elj-editions.com/mannasongs/ and wherever you get your books www.Dianegottlieb.com www.Jenniferflisscreative.com https://www.ninalichtenstein.com/   Diane Gottlieb, MSW, MEd, MFA, is the editor of Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture & Heritage, the award-winning anthology Awakenings: Stories of Body & Consciousness, and Grieving Hope. Her writing appears in Brevity, Witness, River Teeth, 2023 Best Microfiction, Smokelong Quarterly, Bellevue Review, Colorado Review, JUDITH, and Jewish Book Council among many other lovely places. She is the winner of Tiferet Journal's 2021 Writing Contest in Nonfiction, and a finalist for Hole in the Head Review's 2024 Charles Simic Poetry Prize and Florida Review's 2023 Editor's Choice Award in Nonfiction. Diane is the Prose/CNF Editor at Emerge Literary and the Special Projects Editor at ELJ Editions. Connect with Diane:  https://elj-editions.com/mannasongs/ dianegottlieb.com @dianegotauthor   Jennifer Fliss (she/her) is a Seattle-based author of the collections, As If She Had a Say and The Predatory Animal Ball. Over 200 of her stories and essays have appeared in F(r)iction, PANK, Hobart, The Rumpus, The Washington Post, and elsewhere. She was a Pen Parentis Fellow and recipient of a Grant for Artist Project award from Artist's Trust.  www.jenniferflisscreative.com https://nupress.northwestern.edu/9780810146259/as-if-she-had-a-say/ https://okaydonkeymag.bigcartel.com/product/the-predatory-animal-ball-by-jennifer-fliss   Nina B. Lichtenstein is a native of Oslo, Norway, and holds a PhD in French literature from UCONN and an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast program. She is the founder and director of Maine Writers Studio, and the co-founder and co-editor of In a Flash Lit Mag. Her writing has appeared in various journals, magazines, and outlets, as well as in several anthologies. Her book, Sephardic Women's Voices: Out of North Africa, was published by Gaon Books in 2017, and her memoir, Body: My Life in Parts by Vine Leaves Press in May , 2025. She has three adult sons, and lives in Maine with her husband.  https://www.facebook.com/ninalich/ https://www.instagram.com/vikingjewess/ https://ninablichtenstein.substack.com/ https://www.ninalichtenstein.com/ https://www.mainewritersstudio.com/ https://vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/body-my-life-in-parts-by-nina-b-lichtenstein – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

EPISODE DESCRIPTION – Historical fiction writers often ask: “Can I just make stuff up?” In this episode, Zena Dell Lowe explains the balance between staying true to history and using creative license to craft compelling stories. She covers examples from fiction and media adaptations, giving you actionable insights to write stories that feel authentic while keeping readers engaged.Watch this episode on YouTube Free Video Tutorial for ScreenwritingThe Storyteller's Mission Podcast is now on YouTube.  Subscribe to our channel and never miss a new episode or announcement.Sign up for The Storyteller's Digest, my exclusive bi-monthly newsletter for writers and storytellers. Each edition delivers an insightful article or practical writing tip straight from me, designed to help you master your craft and tell compelling stories.Support the Show!Contact us for anything else!Send us a textSupport the show

How did William Finn and Jonathan Larson revolutionize musical theater in the 1980s and 90s? Assistant Professor of Music Alex Bádue joins host Shoshana Greenberg to explore the parallel journeys and creative intersections of these two groundbreaking composers. From their early work in the 80s to their hits Falsettos and Rent in the 1990s and more. We also talk about the song “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” from William Finn's 1981 musical March of the Falsettos and then William Finn and James Lapine's 1992 musical Falsettos. Music played in this episode: ”Rent” from Rent ”Republicans” by William Finn ”All Fall Down” from Romance in Hard Times “Rap Mitzvah” by Jonathan Larson, Jeff Kahn, and Ben Stiller “Four Jews in a Room Bitching” from March of the Falsettos/Falsettos

Send us a textIn this episode we interview Crystalee Beck, founder of Comma Copywriters, a content marketing agency, and a long-time champion of words that connect. She shares how her team blends AI tools with human creativity while protecting what makes a brand's voice worth reading.What you'll learn in this episode:Why Crystalee believes every piece of content still needs a human touch before it goes live.The phases of content production and where AI truly shines—research, ideation, and short-form support.Insights from real-world tests comparing long-form content written with and without AI, using multiple tools.How to define “publish ready” content and why editing and polishing are non-negotiable human steps.Ways to keep quality high as you scale, including peer review and clear standards for brand voice.How some brands that sell AI still insist on fully human-written content to protect credibility and search performance.Why small imperfections and natural voice often build more trust than perfectly polished, robotic prose.How marketers can talk about AI with leadership: setting expectations, protecting quality, and choosing where automation fits.

On this week's Queer Cinema Catchup, Allison and Joe interview writer and co-executive producer Andrea Ciannavei about the new Netflix's military comedy drama Boots starring Miles Heizer and based on the memoir The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White. 00:27 The Journey of 'Boots' from Memoir to TV Show02:48 The Impact of the Writer and Actors' Strikes on Production04:19 The Collaborative Nature of TV 06:56 The Writer's Room13:41 Exploring Themes of Otherness and Belonging30:52 Navigating the Tone of the Show31:42 Character Development and Humanization32:16 Creating an Ensemble Cast33:50 Audience Empathy and Character Arcs38:03 The Role of Themes in Storytelling 40:08 The Role of Editing in Storytelling42:49 Complexity of Military Life and Character Building53:26 Shoutout to the Writers and Crew56:58 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gerald tells why he reads - and keeps rereading - the works of John Le Carré (close observers in the Great Game), Anne Tyler (family stories with an angel's-eye view), and Peter De Vries (satire on sex and religion).

Morgan Housel is a prominent financial writer, award-winning author, and investor known for his insightful perspectives on money, investing, and behavioral economics. He is a partner at ⁠The Collaborative Fund, ⁠a venture capital firm at the intersection of finance, innovation, and social progress. With a keen interest in storytelling, Housel has built a reputation for his ability to convey complex financial concepts in a clear and engaging manner. He is a highly sought-after speaker and shares insights on investing, financial planning, and the ever-evolving landscape of the global economy. His ability to blend storytelling with data-driven analysis has earned him acclaim as a thought leader in the financial industry. As a financial writer, Housel's writings reflect a deep understanding of the psychological aspects that influence decision-making in the world of money. In 2020, he published “⁠The Psychology of Money⁠“. Through a series of short stories, the book explores the relationship between money and human behaviour. It offers readers practical wisdom on building wealth and is said to be “one of the best and most original finance books in years.” It has sold over four million copies, and has been translated into 53 languages. Morgan Housel's latest book “⁠Same As Ever⁠” is a New York Times bestseller and offers timeless wisdom aimed at helping people navigate the uncertainty of the future. Housel shapes conversations about money and its profound impact on individuals and society at large. He is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and winner of the New York Times Sidney Award. In 2022, MarketWatch named him one of the 50 most influential people in markets. He serves on the board of directors at ⁠Markel ⁠and was formerly a columnist for The Motley Fool and The Wall Street Journal. Housel lives in Seattle with his wife and two kids.

Meet Lola! Lola Reid Allin is a former Airline Transport Pilot who worked as a pilot for the Ontario Government and DeHavilland/Flight Safety, a Class I flight instructor, and the first female Chief Flying Instructor at Waterloo-Wellington Flight Centre. In addition, she is a professional SCUBA Dive Master and an award-winning photographer and author whose work has appeared in national and international publications, including National Post, National Geographic, Globe & Mail, Verge: Travel with Purpose, Toronto Star, Grapevine, and Santa Fe Centre for Photography. Lola is an adventurer whose art and writing reflects the world vision of her experience. In addition to a three-year residency in Mexico, she's explored more than 65 countries in depth — under water and on foot, and by dogsled, jeep, and camel. To share her adventures & photographs, to provide a showcase for other photographers, and to inspire others to travel—she created the Armchair Traveller Travelogue in 2017. In addition to these personally narrated travel and adventure presentations, Lola does outreach presentations to promote the role of women in aviation/STEM careers. Her professional associations include The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots, Women in Aviation International, and The Writers' Union of Canada. Her memoir, Highway to the Sky: An Aviator's Journey, was released Sept 2024 by She Writes Press/Simon & Schuster.er mH Contact Lola for your next meeting, retreat, or book club! lola@lolareidallin.com   lolareidallin.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Edgar Gomez joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about growing up poor in Florida, wanting to believe in the American dream and realizing it's not accessible, surviving a precarious childhood, reckoning with trauma, grappling with and excavating shame, what queer people want vs. what they get, navigating sex work, the Pulse nightclub tragedy, when to tell family about our memoirs, writing about others with generosity, staying true to our identity, fighting for joy, and their memoir in essays Alligator Tears.   Also in this episode: -staying true to ourselves -growing up NicaRican -navigating queerness   Books mentioned in this episode: Butterfly Boy by Rigoberto Gonzalez Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Neale Hurston   Edgar Gomez is a queer NicaRican writer born and raised in Florida. He is the author of the memoir High-Risk Homosexual, winner of the American Book Award, a Stonewall Israel-Fishman Nonfiction Book Honor Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. Their sophomore book, Alligator Tears, was released in February 2025 and was called "Triumphant, dazzling, and unfailingly stylish" by Publisher's Weekly. A graduate of the University of California's MFA program, Gomez has written for The LA Times, Poets & Writers, Lithub, New York Magazine, and beyond. He has received fellowships from The New York Foundation for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, and The Black Mountain Institute. He lives between New York and Puerto Rico. Find him across social media @OtroEdgarGomez.   Connect with Edgar: Website: EdgarGomez.net @OtroEdgarGomez on Bluesky and instagram.  Get the book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743399/alligator-tears-by-edgar-gomez/   – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com   Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank   Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social   Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers

Send us a textIn this bonus episode of Writers With Wrinkles, Beth and Lisa talk with Adam Rosenbaum about how he blends laugh-out-loud comedy with emotionally meaningful storytelling. Writers will learn how humor lowers a reader's defenses, why kids crave funny books, and how to handle heavy topics without overwhelming young readers.Guest BioAdam Rosenbaum is the author of The Ghost Rules and the upcoming illustrated series Lawson History Stumbling Through Time (Sourcebooks, 2027). A former sawmill operator and draftsman, he now writes heartfelt, funny middle grade fiction in Nashville, where he lives with his family. Instagram: @rosenbaumwritesKey Discussion PointsWhy humor helps kids engage with challenging themesHow Amblin-era storytelling shaped Adam's voiceWriting comedy without talking down to readersLetting humor open space for grief, empathy, and emotional truth“Backpack books”: the titles kids reread and carry everywhereHandling heavy topics with care and clarityAdam's upcoming time-travel adventure seriesConclusionAdam reminds writers that humor isn't a lesser art—it's a bridge. When paired with heart and honesty, it helps kids navigate big feelings while keeping them invested in the story.

Amire Hoxha, author of "Amar's Fajr Reward," talks to Zainab bint Younus about writing as a minority within a Muslim minority, trends in Muslim bookselling, and what Muslim kidlit keeps missing out on.

This episode dives into Bryant Buck's journey from nominal Christianity to becoming a lifelong independent Sabbath-keeper, shaped by deep historical study and the desire to follow the faith of the first-century church. He discusses his new book, The New Testament Writer's Worldview, which argues that the apostles kept the Sabbath, understood time differently than modern Christians, and upheld God's commandments rather than replacing them. The hosts explore how early Jewish and Gentile believers practiced their faith, why Sunday arguments fall short biblically, and how misunderstandings of “Bible time” and ordinances contribute to modern confusion. The conversation ultimately highlights a growing interest in returning to the biblical Sabbath and using this book as a tool to help Sunday-keepers rediscover the faith once delivered.

Book marketing doesn't have to be overwhelming, and thanks to LaunchMaster, it no longer is. In this episode, Juliet Clark talks with Kathleen Kaiser, co-founder of ProBookLaunch and president of the Writers and Publishers Network, about how their new AI-powered tool helps authors simplify book marketing, improve Amazon visibility, and reclaim time to focus on writing. From generating media kits and social posts to optimizing keywords and categories, LaunchMaster streamlines the entire process with precision and professionalism. Kathleen also shares expert insights on the latest Amazon algorithm changes, how to adapt your book's metadata for better rankings, and why small adjustments can make a big difference in sales. Whether you're a debut author or managing a backlist, this conversation shows how innovation and experience can turn book marketing into a seamless and successful system.Head on to Probooklaunch.com and use the discount code: PBL20Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! https://superbrandpublishing.com/podcast/

Magic and Bird, Mr. October and Pete Rose—Larry Keith has written about them all and many more as a writer and former editor for Sports Illustrated. In this episode, Larry not only recalls the stories, but also goes behind the scenes with the most interesting, and sometimes most controversial, figures in the world of sports. He also tells what made SI's great writers great, a must listen for students looking to make a career in sports media. Listen to this podcast then read Larry's new book, Touch ‘em All.

Dimitra Fimi is Professor of Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow and Co-Director of the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic. Her Tolkien, Race and Cultural History won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies and she co-edited the critical edition of A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages which won the Tolkien Society Award for Best Book. Her Celtic Myth in Contemporary Children's Fantasy won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies. Other work includes co-editing Sub-creating Arda: World-building in J.R.R. Tolkien's Work, its Precursors and its Legacies and Imagining the Celtic Past in Modern Fantasy. She has contributed articles for the TLS and The Conversation, and has appeared on numerous radio and TV programs.When the rightly famous and beloved ‘The Great Courses' series decided to offer a Lord of the Rings entry for their catalog of the very best in scholarship for adult-learners, they asked Dimitra Fimi to create ‘The World of J. R. R. Tolkien,' one of their most popular courses and one you can enjoy in an Audible edition.Links Promised in Conversation:A Kind of Elvish Craft: The Dimitra Fimi Substack Site* Miniature Books in Children's Fantasy* Parabasis: A Tribute to Dionysis Stavvopoulos* On Tolkien's Letter 131 (4): “Romance” vs. ScienceDimitra Fimi articles at ‘The Conversation'* After 150 years, we still haven't solved the puzzle of Alice in Wonderland (2015)Kanreki Conversations about Rowling-Galbraith ‘Golden Threads'* Pregnancy Traps in the Works of Rowling-Galbraith* Golden Threads in Rowling-Galbraith (1)* Golden Threads in Rowling-Galbraith (2)* ‘The Lost Child' Golden Thread* Alternative Explanations of ‘The Lost Child' Golden Thread* The Induced Abortion Hypothesis* The July 2025 Kanreki IndexOur Ten Questions for Dr Fimi:1. How does a woman born and raised on the Greek island of Salamis wind up in Cardiff studying Celtic Mythology?2. You're a Tolkien scholar and expert in fantasy and Children's literature. Tolkienistas are legend for looking down their Ent noses at Harry Potter, though there are important exceptions to that rule (the late Stratford Caldecott, his wife Leonie, Amy H. Sturgis, others). How did you meet the Boy Who Lived and what were your first impressions of Rowling as author?3. You have a lot in common with Rowling, no? Tolkien devotee, serious student of mythology, and a wonderful appreciation of the magic of story, especially magical stories for children. The Tolkien influence on Rowling is well documented though she has tried to belittle it, but her use of myths as templates for her stories is less well known but at least as important. What do you make of her admittedly “shameless” borrowing from folk tales and myths?4. I guess this is a segue to the Cormoran Strike books which are awash in myths -- Leda and the Swan, Castor and Pollux, Cupid and Psyche, Artemis and Tisiphone... Am I missing any?5. You've seen Rowling's recent confirmation of the Cupid and Psyche myth in her tweeted painting of ‘Psyche Ascendant.' That suggests we'll see the happy ending of the myth in Strikes 9 and 10. Or does it? What did you see of that myth specifically in Hallmarked Man?6. Running Grave has another embedded text, not a myth per se, one that makes sense in light of Rowling's love of everything the Bronte sisters wrote. Tell us what made you think of Jane Eyre as you were reading Strike 7.7. Rowling did something unusual in 2019, well, among the unusual things she did that year, in inviting readers to interpret her work in light of their ‘Lake' inspiration as well as her intentional ‘Shed' artistry. Writers like Lewis and Tolkien would be aghast at that, though Inkling Studies today necessarily include heavy biographical leanings in almost everything written about those authors. What is your take in general on what Lewis called ‘The Personal Heresy' and about Rowling as a living author inviting that critical perspective while she is still among us?8. It's fascinating, frankly, that you are not so compartmentalized in your reading that Rowling is still a writer you read outside of her fantasy and children's literature. Do you read the Strike-Ellacott stories because you also love a good detective novel or is it your interest in Rowling and whatever she is writing?9. Have you read Christmas Pig? John believes that in fifty years, the Lord tarrying, high school and college students will read Pig as Rowling's representative work the way we had to read Tale of Two Cities or Christmas Carol to be exposed to Dickens.10. John tries to read imaginative fiction through what he calls an “iconological lens,” a method born of his Perennialist beliefs and life as an Orthodox Christian. In what ways do you think your childhood and secondary education gave you a sympathy unusual for multi-valent texts than those born and raised in relatively secular cultures? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hogwartsprofessor.substack.com/subscribe

Our national book awards committee has rejected books with AI covers. It's nothing to do with the writing - just AI for the covers.

Mischa Willett is a poet and writing professor. He is the Director of the Whitworth Writers' Workshop MFA in Creative Writing at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. In this episode, Mischa Willett and Jonathan Rogers talk about MFA programs, failure as a means of getting work done, and apology letters written by robots. This episode is sponsored by The Habit Writer Development Cohorts. Join "Cohort Week Zero" a free mini-class, TheHabit.co/Development.Support the show: https://therabbitroom.givingfuel.com/memberSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 for his novel, The Orphan Master's Son. He won the National Book Award in 2015 for his story collection, Fortune Smiles. He also authored Parasites Like Us and Emporium. Every novel and story is unlike anything that's come before it. His latest, The Wayfinder, is no exception. Set over 1,000 years ago in the South Pacific, it weaves together the stories of two families and two islands and their opposing views of the world. Adam joins Marrie Stone to talk about how he's not only expanded the idea of what a novel can do, but reimagined it entirely. He talks about how oral traditions of storytelling informed the creation of this book and the massive amounts of research necessary to write it. He talks about what forces shaped the writer he's become, and the many insights about story he shares with his students (Adam teaches in the Wallace Stegner Fellowship program at Stanford). This conversation contains a wealth of insights into craft, process, and storytelling. It also includes a passage from the book which Adam reads and dissects for the listener. (Warning: the passage contains difficult material. Listener discretion is advised.) For more information on Writers on Writing and to become a supporter, visit our Patreon page. For a one-time donation, visit Ko-fi. You can find hundreds of past interviews on our website. You can help out the show and indie bookstores by buying books at our bookstore on bookshop.org. It's stocked with titles by our guest authors, as well as our personal favorites. And on Spotify, you'll find an album's worth of typewriter music like what you hear on the show. It's perfect for writing. Look for the artist, Just My Type. Email the show at writersonwritingpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from our listeners! (Recorded on November 11, 2025) Host: Barbara DeMarco-BarrettHost: Marrie StoneMusic: Travis Barrett (Stream his music on Spotify, Apple Music, Etc.)

Write better songs faster! Clay & Marty's 10-day video series will help you level-up your songs and finish them faster. CLICK HERE to begin!  SongTown Press Books:Mastering Melody Writing : Check It OutSong Building: Mastering Lyric Writing : Check It OutThe Songwriter's Guide To Mastering Co-Writing : Check It Out Hosts: Clay Mills : Facebook   :   InstagramMarty Dodson :   Facebook   :   Instagram SongTown on Songwriting Podcast, Powered by Sweetwater.com - The best place for musical gear on the planet! For advertising opportunities, email kristine@songtown.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this special edition of the Prompt to Page writing podcast, we look back at some of our best moments so far. Past guests—including Crystal Wilkinson, Gwenda Bond, Silas House, and Mariama Lockington—share tips on using writing prompts, finding time to write, nurturing your creativity, and more.

In this week's episode, we discuss the advantages of digital content ownership for both readers and writers. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Cloak of Ashes, Book #3 in the Cloak Mage series, (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) at my Payhip store: CLOAK2025 The coupon code is valid through November 24, 2025. So if you need a new audiobook this fall, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 277 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is November 14th, 2025, and today we are discussing the benefits of owning your own content for both readers and writers. Before we get to our main topic, we will start off with Coupon of the Week and then a progress update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. First up is Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Cloak of Ashes, Book #3 in the Cloak Mage series (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy), at my Payhip store. That coupon code is CLOAK2025. And as always, the coupon code and the links to my Payhip store will be available in the show notes. This coupon code is valid through November 24th, 2025, so if you need a new audiobook for your Thanksgiving travels this month, we have got you covered. Now for an update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. I'm pleased to report the rough draft of Blade of Shadows is done. This will be the second book in my Blades of Ruin epic fantasy series. Right now, it is just about exactly as long as Blade of Flames. It may be a little longer or a little shorter depending on how editing goes since there's some stuff I'm going to cut out, but there's also some scenes I'm going to add. I also wrote a short story called Elven Arrow. Newsletter subscribers will get a free ebook copy of Elven Arrow when Blade of Shadows comes out, which will hopefully be before American Thanksgiving at the end of the month. I'm about 23% of the way through the first editing pass, so making good progress there and hope to keep up with the good progress. I am 11,000 words into Wizard-Assassin. That will be my next main project once the Blade of Shadows is published and probably the final book I publish in 2025, because I think the first book I do in 2026 will be Blades of Ruin #3, if all goes well. In audiobook news, the recording for Blade of Flames is done and it's gradually making its way out into the world (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills). I think as of the time of this recording, the only place where it's actually live is Google Play, but hopefully more stores will come online soon, and it would be cool if the Blade of Flames audiobook was available everywhere before Blade of Shadows came out. Hollis McCarthy is still working on Cloak of Embers and we hope to have that to you before the end of the year, if all goes well. So that's where I'm at with current writing, publishing and audiobook projects. 00:02:25 Main Topic: Digital Content Ownership as a Reader and Writer Now let's move on to our own topic, the ownership of digital content as both a reader and a writer. As the digital revolution has gone on and on and put more decades behind it, people are increasingly building very large digital content libraries and it's an increasingly tangled point of law what happens to those digital libraries when for example, their account gets suspended, or for example, someone else dies and wants to leave their Steam library of games to their heirs. We're today going to be focusing on digital content ownership for readers and writers, and we'll start with readers. Although the price of an ebook and print book of many traditionally published books are roughly the same at this point (and sometimes bafflingly, the ebook versions cost more), the rights you have as the owner of the ebook copy are substantially less powerful. In fact, technically speaking, you aren't actually the owner of an ebook purchased from Amazon or other retailers. It's more accurate to say that you purchased a long-term conditional lease. As a side note, I'm talking about this from the perspective of United States Copyright law and ebook/audiobook stores there. The laws and standards in your own country may be different. Also, I am not a lawyer and nothing in this episode should be taken as legal advice. You obtain legal advice by hiring a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction. But now back to the main argument. In America, there is something known as the First Sale Doctrine. This section of the US Copyright Act allows physical media to be lent out and resold, among other things. For example, someone who purchases a physical book is considered its owner and the publisher can't take it back from them. The physical version of books can be used in libraries or as classroom materials until they literally fall apart, unlike their electronic equivalents, which face complicated licensing agreements that generally offer far less favorable terms of use for a much larger cost (especially for libraries and academic institutions). In the US, electronic content ownership is covered by contract law instead of the First Sale Doctrine. Although each seller has their own licenses and standards, a few things tend to remain consistent across those licenses: the inability to lend or resell the content, the inability to remove DRM from the content, and the right of the seller to alter or even remove the content. Ownership is not a right guaranteed for digital content. There is an American lawsuit currently challenging Amazon Prime Video and its use of words like "purchase" and "buy" for its video content. The lawsuit accuses Amazon of misrepresenting a heavily conditional license as a purchase, giving the average customer the impression that they own the content in perpetuity. Amazon lawyers argue that the average customer understands the difference, but frequent outrages over content being removed from users' libraries suggests otherwise. Here are four reasons owning your ebook content is important. #1: Keeping access to the content if the company closes or gets bought out. One of the early leaders in the US ebook store market way back at the start of the indie revolution was Sony. When their Sony Reader store closed, they gave readers the option to migrate their libraries to Kobo. Books that were not available through Kobo were not able to be transferred, so some purchased content was lost for readers. A more egregious example comes from, as you might expect, Microsoft with the closing of the Microsoft ebook store in 2019. When the store closed, they offered refunds instead of giving readers an opportunity to self-archive or transfer their purchases. Any margin notes taken by readers were lost, and they were given a $25 credit for the inconvenience. Although refunding customers was a good gesture, it's not a guarantee that readers are able to repurchase the ebooks elsewhere or even that the price would be the same when they did. As an aside, I spent a good chunk of time in 2018 trying to figure out how to get into the Microsoft ebook store and then finally gave up because it was too complicated, which in hindsight turned out to be a good decision. Owning your ebooks outright gives them independence from the store that you bought them from. #2: Keeping content from being altered. Ebooks can be altered anytime. Most of the time these changes are harmless, such as updating a cover, fixing a typo, or adding a preview chapter. I do that myself all the time. Every time I get typo corrections, I upload a new version. Yet there is a potential for books to be edited or censored from the original copy that you purchased. Chapters could be removed, scenes altered, or in extreme cases, the entire book could be removed. Owning a hard copy means that you have a version that cannot be changed without your knowledge. #3: The ability to self-archive. Most ebook stores use a form of digital rights management (DRM) that makes it difficult to transfer or permanently store your collection outside of their collection or library. Trying to do so is a violation of the license you purchased from the store, so I won't discuss how to do that. Amazon recently made self-archiving more difficult by discontinuing the feature to download and transfer Kindle books via USB. Finding DRM-free ebook stores is important if you want to organize and store your ebook collection as you see fit. Two examples of stores with DRM-free ebooks are Smashwords and direct [sales] sites like My Payhip store. Other stores like Kobo have a dedicated section devoted to DRM-free ebooks. #4: Keeping your reading habits private. Companies like Amazon track reading data, mostly out of a desire to sell you similar books or ad space. They track what you're reading, the amount of time you spend reading, your reading speed, and the highlights that you make in a book. Now, most of the time this is generally pretty harmless. It's mostly used for…you look on Amazon, you see that the section "customers who enjoyed this book also enjoyed this". Then if you use the Kindle app on your phone a lot, it has a lot of badges and achievements and it tends to be used for that kind of thing. However, there could be sinister undertones to this, especially if you're reading things you would prefer other people not know about. So if this concerns you, if there are some settings that you can adjust, but if you want complete privacy, outright ownership of your ebooks is the way to go. So what is the easiest way to own your own ebooks as a reader? The easiest way and perhaps the safest way to own your content outright is to buy print copies of books. That said, buying direct from authors or finding ebooks that have more favorable license terms is easiest way to own your ebook purchases. One of the reasons that opening a Payhip store was important to me was I gave my readers a chance to outright own purchased copies of my work and self-archive them in the way that they saw fit, if that was important to them. The price is the same on my Payhip store as other ebook or audiobook stores (and sometimes even cheaper if you're using Coupon of the Week). The ebooks and audiobooks there are DRM-free and untethered from specific stores and companies. You have the option to download files in a variety of file formats and store them in a way that makes the most sense to you. Buying direct also gives a greater share of the sale price to the authors, especially in the case of audiobooks. In conclusion, ebooks lag behind print books in terms of ownership rights for purchasers here in the United States (at the time of this recording). That said, you can be an informed consumer by reading terms of use carefully and educating yourself to make sure that you have the most possible access to your purchased content. Now, we've covered that from the reader side, and let's look at it from the side of the content creators, specifically writers. This can also apply to other content creators such as musicians, and we're going to use a very famous example for that, Taylor Swift. The general public learned about the importance of fully owning your content as a creator during the long and very public battle between musician Taylor Swift and the record company that sold her work to a private equity firm associated with someone she personally disliked. She owned the copyrights to the works (along with her various collaborators), but not the masters, the specific recordings of each song. As long as she didn't own her masters, she didn't have control over song choices for her public performances, the label releasing older content against her wishes, or how her music would be licensed out for commercial use. Swift reasserted control by rerecording old albums (a strategy previously used by the musician Prince), which gave her ownership of these new masters and devalued the original masters to the point where she could later afford to buy them outright. Many artists, including Olivia Rodrigo, credit Swift for helping them to negotiate adding the ownership of their masters into their contracts. As predatory as the publishing industry can be, the music industry tends to make them look like rank amateurs in terms of sheer evil. So it is a testament to her popularity and business success that she was able to convince them to do this. The world's most famous pop star taught millions of fans that owning your work is the ultimate goal of a creative. Why is ownership of your work important for writers specifically and not just American pop stars? We'll discuss six reasons why it's important for content creators and specifically writers in this episode. And as a reminder yet again, I'm talking about this from the perspective of United States law. Laws and standards in your own country may be different. Also, I am not a lawyer and nothing in this episode should be taken as legal advice. You obtain proper legal advice by contacting a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction. So with that in mind, let's get into the topic. What is ownership as a writer? Writers generally keep the copyrights to works they sell to publishers. Writers are essentially selling the right or a license to produce and distribute their book in a certain format, language, and geographic area. Most of the time, geographic area rights are sold separately. For example, rights for the Harry Potter books are owned by Scholastic in the United States and Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom. Sometimes writers will keep the rights in a specific format, like when I signed with Tantor to give them the audio rights to the first five Frostborn books while keeping the rights to my print and ebook formats. What writers lose in the process of selling to publishers is the ability to control how their work is marketed, packaged, and sold. They do not have the freedom to make major decisions such as when a book is released or where it is marketed. Today I am going to share six reasons that retaining ownership is important for writers and what things you generally sacrifice when you sign with a traditional publisher instead of self-publishing or indie publishing. #1: Creative control. It is not standard to have complete control over your book's cover design. Often an artist is able to submit suggestions to the designer, but the publisher has ultimate authority over the book's cover. Sometimes covers end up being wildly inappropriate for the book, but the author has no recourse. The same is usually true with the ability to pick an audiobook narrator or change anything about the narration. At times, writers (especially new ones) are pressured into changes they do not want by editors. The surest way to completely lose all creative control is signed with a book packager like Alloy Entertainment. If you want to hear the story of how L.J. Smith was fired from her own series due to a plot dispute with that publisher, YouTuber Jenny Nicholson covers it in her epic length summary of The Vampire Diaries show. Although a certain paycheck from a book packager is tempting, you'd be wisest not to create any fictional characters or worlds for this type of publisher for that reason. #2: Dead Series Syndrome. If the first book in a series does not sell well, the publisher tends to abandon the series. The next book in the series might be ready for publication, but they're not obligated to publish it if they suspect it will not be profitable. Unfinished series are extremely common in traditional publishing, unfortunately. Writers who are locked into a contract for a series are generally out of luck putting out the books on their own. Even if they put out later books on their own, not having the rights to the first book in the series makes it difficult for a writer to sell and market subsequent books. I had a series (Demonsouled) that I wanted to continue even though the first book was released by my publisher. I was able to get the rights back for it and then was able to self-publish this rest of the series. This was much easier to do 14 years ago than it is now. Modern contracts, especially from larger publishers, are not so generous in letting authors do this. It would be much easier to start as a self-published author and have full control over the trajectory of your series and make sure readers are able to finish it instead of waiting for a contract to elapse or fighting a difficult, hard to win battle to get the rights back. #3: The ability to change. One of the perks of owning your book is the ability to make quick changes that react to data. For example, I was able to retitle the Stealth and Spells series fairly quickly when it became immediately clear upon release that some found the original title confusing. A traditional publisher would likely not have bothered to make the effort unless there was a legal reason for doing so. The ability to change covers, repackaging books in different ways (like omnibus editions), and to make quick changes to the book on the fly (such as fixing typos or continuity errors), is the unique privilege that comes with owning your own work. Publishers are slow to make these types of changes, if they do it at all. #4: Profit. Writers typically only receive an advance (an initial lump sum) when working with a traditional publisher. The complexities of publisher accounting usually ensure that only great successes receive royalties, and often even those that do can take a while to reach that benchmark. Royalties are typically doled out quarterly or semi-annually, for those who make enough to receive them. The earning statements are fairly byzantine. It's hard for the average person to understand them fully to make sure they're being paid exactly what is owed to them. Owning your own work and publishing yourself means that you keep all of the profit after the cut taken by the ebook store and whatever you pay cover designers, editors, and so on. You can see all of the sales as they come in and don't have to wait for those two to four royalty checks each year in order to get paid. It's much easier to make a living as a writer and to feel confident that you can pay others when you have more accurate data on the money coming in. Indie publishing sacrifices the certainty of an advance for a far, far greater share of the profits in the long run. Additionally, agents typically take a 15 to 20% commission on author earnings, and they are an essential part of the process in traditional publishing. It's just about impossible to get foot in the door with traditional publishing without one. Most self-published writers don't bother with an agent, which means they're able to keep that cut of the money and don't have to shape their work around the preferences and whims of an agent. They also spared the stress and hassle of working with an unethical or bad agent (of which they're unfortunately far too many). #5: Professional freedom. The publisher decides when the books are released or if they're released at all. Are you ready to publish a book two months after the first one is released? Too bad. A publisher is not going to put out the next one that quickly. The traditional wisdom of publishing schedules seems wildly out of date in the content-heavy modern world, where algorithms reward recent titles and frequent publishing. Publishing more often also helps fans stay connected to your work, and frankly, it's much easier to make a living as a writer putting out several books a year instead of just one. Additionally, traditionally published writers do not control how a book is marketed. Are you upset that your book is being marketed as a romance when you think it's complex literary fiction? Too bad. It's not your call. In fact, writers may be contractually obligated to post content to their social media pages written or approved in advance by the marketing department at the publisher. You might have to put your name publicly to marketing copy you dislike or disagree with in order to not violate your contract. In a related vein, you might find that if you post heavily on your social media pages about political or controversial topics, you may be reprimanded by the publisher or in some cases, have your contract canceled entirely. Although indie authors aren't immune from social consequences of what they post, no publisher is holding them back from posting what they want just because they're writers and the publisher is scared of what the shareholders might think. #6: The publisher being sold. One of the biggest problems for traditionally published writers is when their publisher is sold to another one. This may mean restructuring that takes away staff they worked with a long time (like a favorite editor being replaced by an inexperienced one). As smaller publishers are eaten up by the larger ones, you might find that your books become an afterthought and you don't have any power to fix that. You might even have to fight to get paid what you're owed in your own contracts, which writers of Star Wars books found out when Disney acquired Lucasfilm. Apparently when Disney bought Lucasfilm, it decided it no longer owed royalties to several writers of Star Wars tie-in novels that Lucasfilm had published and weren't going to pay them until it went public and caused a bit of controversy. Finally, a settlement was reached. This is sort of the shifty behavior that Disney is well known for in certain circles, and it is something you have to watch out for with large publishers and media conglomerates. The easiest way to keep this from happening is, once again, to publish yourself and keep ownership of your work. In conclusion, when traditional publishing was the only way to become a writer, their restrictions and control were something you had to live with because you had no other option. Now that self-publishing is extremely accessible and traditional publishing is shrinking, it's no longer worth making the trade-offs that authors once had to in order to gain readers of their work. Although I never actually listened to a Taylor Swift song all the way through, her career and business ventures are proof that owning your work as a creative is the best way forward. Ownership should be the starting point, not the end goal of anyone who values creative control and fair, transparent payment for their creative work. So that is it for this week. I hope that illuminated the importance of owning your own work, especially if you are a writer or other creative. Thanks for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.

Original Release Date: Monday 17 November 2025    Description:   Big changes are coming, with much more content each week. This week, Dean and Phil hint more at what these changes might bring, while whetting the appetite thru discussions of art, culture, television, movies and acting. The festivities begin with Dean revealing which of the cities he has lived in most inspired his painting. The return of Vince Gilligan to the small screen gets discussed, the hilarious new sitcom “Stumble” gets reviewed, and the cancellation of Rian Johnson's “Poker Face” AND his plans to revive it get analyzed. In “Celebrity Deaths”, the maverick independent filmmaker Henry Jaglom gets remembered and his ongoing legacy and influence are pondered. Then a whole raft of new Netflix films get mentioned before Dean doffs his cap at Guillermo del Toro's Netflix version of Frankenstein, and Phil wags his finger at the preposterous The Woman in Cabin 10. Finally, The Fantastic Four: First Steps gets revisited before the state of acting in the 1970s gets hailed as, perhaps, the all-time peak of screen acting.

Self-published authors Anne Ditmeyer and Martin Lake share what it really takes to go indie, from choosing platforms and budgeting for editing, design, and ISBNs to redefining success, avoiding scams, and playing the long game of finding readers and building a sustainable writing life.  You'll learn:Why Anne and Martin chose self-publishing over traditional routes and how they framed readers as their gatekeepers.How both authors define success beyond bestseller lists, from “book as business card” to improving the craft across 25 books.The real timelines of an indie career, including slow early sales, backlist effects, and why self-publishing is a marathon, not a sprint.What a realistic budget looks like for editing, design, typesetting, audiobooks, and print on demand, plus where they chose to DIY or outsource.How they use platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing, Lulu, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, and Shopify, and why most sales still come through Amazon.Practical approaches to marketing that do not require a huge following, including series, mailing lists, events, workshops, and using your existing communities.The role of ISBNs, imprints, metadata, and print on demand for getting into libraries and bookstores, and why in-store placement is harder than it looks.Red flags to watch for with third-party “publishing services” and why due diligence can save you thousands in fees and frustration.   Resources and Links:

Welcome back, everyone, for the conclusion of my interview with Army Veteran, retired Sheriff Deputy, and host of the popular Antihero podcast, Tyler Hoover. Tyler Hoover is a United States Army Airborne Infantry Iraq War Veteran, having served with the esteemed 82nd Airborne Division. After serving his country in the army, he continued serving as a sheriff's deputy in two different counties in Florida, working in different roles, including SWAT and other special units. Tyler walked away from law enforcement and is now focused on his wildly popular Antihero Podcast and other entrepreneurial pursuits. Please enjoy the conclusion of my interview with Tyler Hoover.     In today’s episode, we discuss: ·      The lack of organized gangs in Orlando. ·      Tyler’s Voodoo call. ·      Tyler’s decision to leave law enforcement after nine years on the job. ·      Tyler starting three different businesses while working full-time as a cop. ·      Saving a baby. ·      What can be done to restore law enforcement today? ·      What part of being a cop does he miss the most? ·      His advice to someone who wants to start a career in law enforcement. ·      Where his entrepreneurial spirit came from. ·      The antihero podcast. How did it start, and how it developed into the antihero broadcast? ·      His becoming a Christian and asking God for the strength to make him a better man.   All of this and more on today’s episode of the Cops and Writers podcast. Check out the Antihero podcast on YouTube.       Check out the new Cops and Writers YouTube channel! Check out my newest book, The Good Collar (Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Series Book 1)!!!!! Enjoy the Cops and Writers book series. Please visit the Cops and Writers website.  

This episode explores practical executive functioning tools that support students' writing and goal-setting success. Inspired by Valerie Bolling's book, Goal Setting in the Writing Classroom: Building Student Agency, Independence, and Success (Stenhouse Publishers, 2025), Stacey highlights seven strategies—such as making timelines, using timers, and tracking progress—that help improve organization, focus, and motivation. These tools build essential skills for writing and lifelong executive functioning. Drawing on personal experience, the episode shows how goal-setting applies both in and out of the classroom. Tune in to learn how to help students develop confidence and independence with their writing goals.GO DEEPER!TWT Podcast Episodes That Deal with Executive FunctioningAccommodations for Access to Writing InstructionBuild Executive Functioning with Time Management TechniquesBuild Writing Confidence with the "Ready, Do, Done" ModelCo-Create Writing GoalsHelp K-8 Students with Executive Functioning Needs: A Conversation with a ColleagueUnlock Strategies for Task InitiationTWT Blog Posts That Explore Executive FunctioningContingency Maps for Writing WorkshopsFrom Memory to MasteryHands in the Air: How Gestures Support Writing InstructionRoutines Build CapacityWriting and Working Memory: Reflective PracticeSend us a textPlease subscribe to our podcast and leave us ratings/reviews on your favorite listening platform.You may contact us directly if you want us to consult with your school district. Melanie Meehan: meehanmelanie@gmail.com Stacey Shubitz: stacey@staceyshubitz.com Email us at contact@twowritingteachers.org for affiliate or sponsorship opportunities.For more about teaching writing, head to the Two Writing Teachers blog.

“A short story is about one thing — one moment, one emotion, one change. Nail that and you've got a winner.”Are you a writer looking for answers on how to level up your craft? In this power-packed episode of Tell The Damn Story, we dive into another top 10 questions every emerging writer asks—from building suspense and finding your unique voice, to balancing action with emotion, and even marketing yourself without feeling fake. Hear real talk from seasoned authors Alex Simmons and Chris Ryan as they share actionable tips, personal stories, and experience earned through hard times. Their insight will help you break through creative blocks, develop better writing habits, and bring your stories—and your writing career—to life. So tune it in, listen up, and write it down.Do you have any questions, comments, or suggestions?Then, please leave them in the Comments Section.Write: TTDSOnAir@gmail.comAnd follow us on ...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TellTheDamnStory.comwww.Facebook.com/Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/ Tell The Damn Story⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stories change lives. They always have. At *Tell The Damn Story*, we believe in lifting voices and passing stories on. Your support keeps them alive for future generations. Help us by supporting TTDS → ⁠Buy Me A Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thomas Slee. He is officially announced as a winner in our international contest, The Writers of the Future and, as a winner, we'll be flying him to Hollywood for an awards event (April 16, 2026), a week-long, master-class workshop with some of the top names in the industry (Some of our writer contest judges conduct the workshop), and his winning story will be published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42 which has been on bestseller lists numerous times in recent years. Michael T. Kuester is an engineer by day, science fiction writer by night. An avid hiker and cooking enthusiast, Michael is a passionately curious individual, and lives his life by the motto “In the twenty-first century, there's no excuse for an unanswered question”. Over the years he's devoted free time to researching everything from the history of naval warfare to the origins of potato chips. Michael resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his partner Jen, their two children, and their freeloader housemate Eddie the Cat. His work will be appearing soon in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, but L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42 will mark his professional debut. The Contest, one of the most prestigious writing and illustrating competitions in the world, is currently in its 43rd year and is judged by some of the premier names in speculative fiction. The Writers of the Future Contest judges include, Tim Powers (author of On Stranger Tides), Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (Dune prequel series), Robert J. Sawyer (The Oppenheimer Alternative), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series, The Stormlight Archive), Larry Niven (Ringworld), Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game), Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death), Hugh Howey (Wool), and Katherine Kurtz (Deryni series) to name a few.

This week, Jo discovers the seminal elegance of Sylvia Wynter's Black Metamorphosis: New Natives in a New World, while Charlotte considers how well she would fare if she traveled back in time to the era of Alexander the Great, as depicted in Mary Renault's The Persian Boy. Then, the dazzling Lauren Michele Jackson joins to discuss the chaotic, thrilling, sexually vibrant, and deeply unwell narrator of Nettie Jones' Fish Tales.Also mentioned in this episode: Percival Everett's Glyph, Danzy Senna's Symptomatic, Street Zen by David Schneider, Eve Babitz, and Samuel R. Delany's Times Square Red, Times Square Blue.Lauren Michele Jackson is an assistant professor of English at Northwestern University and contributing writer at The New Yorker. She is the author of White Negroes and the forthcoming essay collection, Back. Please consider supporting our work on Patreon, where you can access additional materials and send us your guest and book coverage requests! Questions and comments can be directed to readingwriterspod at gmail dot com. Outro music by Marty Sulkow and Joe Valle.Charlotte Shane's most recent book is An Honest Woman. Her essay newsletter, Meant For You, can be subscribed to or read online for free, and her social media handle is @charoshane.  Jo Livingstone is a writer who teaches at Pratt Institute.Our Sponsors:* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com* Check out BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/THENATIONAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

I'm always asking questions.  The fun begins when you start researching for answers. Such as…   Gracie Allen is said to be one of the funniest entertainers in American broadcast history.  Did she have writers or was it all out Gracie Allen?  Plus…why has being burned out become the accepted behavior at home and the workplace?    I'm Arroe…  I am a daily writer.  A silent wolf.  I stand on the sidelines and do nothing but watch, listen study then activate.  I call it The Daily Mess.  A chronological walk through an everyday world.  Yes, it's my morning writing.  As a receiver of thoughts and ideas, we as people tend to throw it to the side and deal with it later.  When a subject arrives, I dig in.  It's still keeping a journal!  By doing the research the picture becomes clearer.  This is the Daily Mess…Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

Bestselling fantasy author Katie Cross is one of the most comfortable authors I have ever read. “Miss Mabel's School for Girls” is the first book in the Network Series. In this episode, Katie shares her journey as a writer, the inspiration behind her books, and the importance of engaging with readers. She discusses her unique approach to storytelling, character development, and the magic system in her works. Katie emphasizes the significance of mindset in overcoming challenges and the value of self-publishing. The conversation also explores the balance between family life and a writing career, as well as the impact of conventions on reader engagement. She can be found at katiecrossbooks.com/

I'm always asking questions.  The fun begins when you start researching for answers. Such as…   Gracie Allen is said to be one of the funniest entertainers in American broadcast history.  Did she have writers or was it all out Gracie Allen?  Plus…why has being burned out become the accepted behavior at home and the workplace?    I'm Arroe…  I am a daily writer.  A silent wolf.  I stand on the sidelines and do nothing but watch, listen study then activate.  I call it The Daily Mess.  A chronological walk through an everyday world.  Yes, it's my morning writing.  As a receiver of thoughts and ideas, we as people tend to throw it to the side and deal with it later.  When a subject arrives, I dig in.  It's still keeping a journal!  By doing the research the picture becomes clearer.  This is the Daily Mess…Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

Description: We're revisiting one of our most-loved conversations from this show—an exploration of how transformation takes shape in our lives and how we can bravely meet it, even when it's terrifying. In this encore episode, we look back on Jen's conversation with poet and community-builder Joy Sullivan, whose own “chosen change” became a leap toward more sanity, more love, and more joy. After years of living according to scripts written by others, Joy found herself standing at a crossroads, feeling the pull of something deeper and more true. What followed was a radical leap into the unknown—a move that reshaped her life, her faith, and her art, including her book ‘Instructions for Traveling West' – a collection for anyone flinging themselves into their own fresh starts. Together, she and Jen talk about the “incremental scoots” we make before the big leap, the beauty and ache of reinvention, and how stillness can become a sacred space for clarity. Joy shares her story of walking into the unknown and learning to trust her intuition along the way. In this episode, we reflect on: The difference between a change that happens to us and one we choose Embracing loneliness and stillness as paths to self-discovery Lessons that taught Joy to love herself more deeply Why poetry gives language to what we cannot say aloud If you're feeling the pull toward something new but uncertain, this encore offers a gentle reminder that change—though often uncomfortable—is where our truest selves begin to emerge. Thought-provoking Quotes: "If the birds know how to migrate, if bears know when to hibernate, if nature knows when to move forward, it doesn't make any sense for us to not know that also." – Joy Sullivan "It's so important to listen and to follow the rhythms that we're pulled to even if we don't know what we're leaping towards." – Amy Hardin “First you must realize you're homesick for all the lives you're not living. Then you must commit to the road and the rising loneliness.” – Joy Sullivan “You have to be careful what you write down—it performs this kind of beautiful, terrifying magic.” – Joy Sullivan “Don't compare yourself to someone who's mid-leap. There were probably a lot of scoots to the edge before they launched.” – Joy Sullivan “You don't have to get the leap right every time. You just have to be willing to innovate midair.” – Joy Sullivan “I had coded into my psyche what it meant to be a good woman. When I fractured those stories, my life expanded into possibility.” – Joy Sullivan “If I take crumbs and call it a meal, if I stay in rooms where I'm not called beloved, then I'm in a cage of my own making.” – Joy Sullivan Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Flinging Ourselves Into Fresh Starts ft. Joy Sullivan – https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-61/flinging-ourselves-into-fresh-starts-ft-joy-sullivan/ Sustenance ((A Community of Poets and Writers founded by Joy Sullivan) - https://joysullivanpoet.com/sustenance Necessary Salt (Joy Sullivan's Substack Blog) - https://joysullivan.substack.com/ Instructions For Traveling West: Poems by Joy Sullivan - https://amzn.to/4qZTZ7l Guest's Links: Website - https://joysullivanpoet.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joysullivanpoet/ Twitter - https://x.com/Joy_E_Sullivan Substack - https://joysullivan.substack.com/ Connect with Jen!Jen's Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Friday's Daily Puck Drop, Jason “Puck” Puckett is joined by the Go-2-Guy Jim Moore and Chris Egan from KING 5 are all worked up over Cal Raleigh not winning the AL MVP!  Puck has a major issue with Aaron Judge and it involves small dogs! PuckSports handicapper TroyWins.comhandicaps all the upcoming football games in college and the NFL.   Puck then previews the high school football playoffs with “Friday Night Lights” with Todd Milles from VarsityWaNews.com.   Puck then transitions to the Seahawks and its time for the “Last Word” with Bob Condotta, Seattle Times as he previews Seahawks and Rams.  Bob discusses his top storylines heading into the game Sunday. “On This Day…”  covers the NFL, literature and local star athletes birthday Puck wraps up the show with “Hey, What the Puck!?”   Sunday comes down to Sam Darnold (1:00) The PME Show ( Puck, Egan and Moore) (41:12) PuckSports Handicapper TroyWins.com (54:33) Todd Milles, Varsitywanews.com  (1:11:24) Bob Condotta, Seattle Times (1:30:12) “On This Day….” (1:33:54) “Hey, What the Puck!?”  

Bestselling author and award-winning podcaster Barbara DeMarco-Barrett spoke with me about producing 20+ years of Writers on Writing, why writers don't retire, and her debut noir short story collection POOL FISHING. Barbara DeMarco-Barrett's first book Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman's Guide to Igniting the Writer Within, was an Los Angeles Times bestseller and honored with an American Society of Journalists and Authors Outstanding Book Award. Her latest book of short stories, Pool Fishing, is “... centered around deviant women …. in a world with characters who live on the fringes of society-physically, psychologically, or financially”.  Barbara DeMarco-Barrett is creator, executive producer, and host of the award-winning podcast, Writers on Writing, where she interviews authors, agents, and poets. She taught at the UC-Irvine Extension, where she received a Distinguished Instructors award, and is professor of creative writing at Saddleback College's Emeritus Institute and lecturer at Chapman University. Her fiction and poetry have been published in Coolest American Stories 2022, CrimeReads, Dark City Crime & Magazine, Serial Magazine, Beach Reads, among others. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her short story, “Rowboat,” in Kelp Journal (Dec. 2023). Her essays and articles have also been published in The Los Angeles Review of Books, Orange Coast Magazine, Westways, The Los Angeles Times, Writer's Digest, and Poets & Writers and many others. [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 Barbara DeMarco-Barrett and I discussed: Writing Pen on Fire early in her career Why she feeds off of the energy of the writing community How to write a noir short story Hanging out with Raymond Chandler in Beverly Hills Why you need to quit the negative self talk and be a good literary citizen And a lot more! Show Notes: barbarademarcobarrett.com  Writers on Writing podcast Pool Fishing: Stories by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett (Amazon)  Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on Facebook Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on Instagram Barbara DeMarco-Barrett on Twitter Kelton Reid Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's program, Moody Bible Institute is suing the Chicago Public School system for excluding its students from the student-teaching program due to its religious hiring practices. We'll take a look. Plus, a second woman has come forward claiming ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood sexually harassed her. We'll have details. And, a new partnership shows how artificial intelligence is transforming Bible translation. But first, families of the children who died at Camp Mystic after the July 4 floods have filed a lawsuit against the camp. The lawsuit accuses the camp of negligence, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and liability based on inviting the victims onto the camp property then breaching its duty of care to them. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today's program include Kim Roberts, Yonat Shimron, Kathryn Post, Isaac Wood, and Makella Knowles. Until next time, may God bless you.

We'll never be able to hear the words 'beef wellington' again without thinking of Erin Patterson.

Becca Syme is at it again, telling us how to quit what we should quit (and how to keep going when it's the right thing to do). Don't miss this amazing episode! Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has individually coached more than 6000 authors at all levels. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course, and the host of the Quitcast for Writers podcast and YouTube channel. She also writes mystery novels and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota.All Becca's links: http://betterfaster.com/linksBecca's Kickstarter: http://rachaelherron.com/beccaRosie's Kickstarter: http://rachaelherron.com/rosie

An edited version of this conversation is now available as part of our collaboration with The Yale Review. Read it here: https://yalereview.org/article/shakespeare-and-company-interview-miriam-toewsTrigger warning: This is a tender, funny, and hopeful conversation, that inevitably touches on the subjects of suicide and depression. Please be advised before listening.In this moving and intimate discussion, Miriam Toews joins Adam Biles at Shakespeare and Company to talk about her memoir A Truce That Is Not Peace. Beginning with the question “Why do I write?”, Toews embarks on a deeply personal exploration of creativity, doubt, family, and loss. She reflects on her Mennonite upbringing, the deaths of her father and sister, and the ways in which writing—and laughter—have helped her make sense of pain and love. With warmth, wit, and clarity, Toews examines the limits of narrative, the pull of silence, and the stubborn hope that persists in the face of despair. A meditation on grief, rebellion, and the meaning of home, this is a conversation about how to keep living, and how to keep creating, when life itself resists coherence.Buy A Truce That Is Not Peace: https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/books/a-truce-that-is-not-peace*Miriam Toews is the author of the bestselling novels Women Talking, All My Puny Sorrows, Summer of My Amazing Luck, A Boy of Good Breeding, A Complicated Kindness, The Flying Troutmans, Irma Voth, Fight Night and one work of nonfiction, Swing Low: A Life. She is the winner of the Governor General's Award for Fiction, the Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year, the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and the Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award. She lives in Toronto.Adam Biles is Literary Director at Shakespeare and Company.Listen to Alex Freiman's latest EP, In The Beginning: https://open.spotify.com/album/5iZYPMCUnG7xiCtsFCBlVa?si=h5x3FK1URq6SwH9Kb_SO3w Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the latest Bat Bits, we discuss Lorenzo Semple Jr's guidelines regarding Batman's arsenel: The Batmobile, the Batcave, and all his various devices. We discuss reasons to label everything in the Batcave and Batman's general resourcefulness. Whatever he needs is always there when he needs it! Listen to Bat Bits and see the memo we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode of Storybeast! Our Legendaries are special guests who are an expert within their area of storytelling. In this episode, Ghabiba Weston and Courtney Shack have the pleasure of interviewing legendary Carla Hoch.CARLA HOCH is the author of the Writer's Digest book Fight Write: How to Write Believable Fight Scenes as well as Fight Write, Round Two: Crafting Chaos, Combat and Crime. Carla has been teaching the craft of writing fight scenes, action and violence since 2017 and is an instructor for both Writer's Digest University and Writing Mastery Academy. Her award-winning blog, FightWrite.net, has been named in Writer's Digest 100 Best Sites for Writers five years in a row. Carla is a world champion jiujitsu player and has experience in almost a dozen fighting styles. She lives outside Houston, Texas with her family and judgmental cats.In this episode, you'll:hear about Carla's research processfind your new weapon mottodiscover whether your character should store their second weapon in their bootlearn what your two most important considerations in a fight scene should behear how to teach yourself to write a fight scenehear how to pace a fight sceneface the question of what's more useful in storytelling: being realistic versus authentichear about Carlas's top pet fight scene peeveshear about Carla's consultation sessions on fight scenesuncover "dating" advice from Carlahear therapist Courtney talk about the power of enclothed cognition For more storytelling content to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter.Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks!A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find more of her creative work on Spotify.As ever, thank you for listening, Beasties! Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast.Be brave, stay beastly!

If you have experience in true crime, documentary or narrative non-fiction, and you can demonstrate strong research and writing skills, we'd love to hear from you.Please include a short introduction, your CV or résumé, and any writing samples or relevant links to past work. You can send your application to contact@casefilepodcast.com.Head to casefilepodcast.com/writer for further details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover why clarity (not secrecy) is the key to keeping your readers engaged, curious, and emotionally invested in your story.Writers often think suspense means withholding information, but what if the opposite were true?In this episode, I'm joined by Daniel David Wallace, author, writing teacher, and founder of the annual Escape the Plot Forest Summit, to discuss why holding back details can leave readers confused or disconnected rather than curious.Daniel explains how sharing the right information at the right time builds trust, deepens emotion, and makes every twist hit exactly the way you intended. Here's what we cover:[02:25] Why trying to keep readers guessing for too long kills tension, and what actually makes a mystery feel exciting instead of confusing.[06:35] How the fear of being ‘too obvious' causes writers to hide key details, and why showing your hand sooner can keep readers even more engaged.[10:00] What The Hunger Games can teach us about foreshadowing in fiction through the famous berry scene.[18:00] What it really means to treat your reader like a friend, and how building trust keeps people invested in your story from start to finish.[20:00] Where writers go wrong with multi-POV—and why including more POVs isn't always the way to make your story clear to readersIf you've ever worried that giving too much away will ruin your story, this episode will change how you think about suspense, clarity, and reader trust.

Anne Abel joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about her experiences winning the Moth StorySLAM, what she learned from the storytelling community, the lifelong toll of her parents' abuse and her chronic, recurrent depression, overcoming self-loathing, how Bruce Springsteen changed her life, following a hunch, overcoming writers block, why it's better to overwrite than underwrite, her giant following on TikTok and Instagram, why it's never too late to move forward, taking a leap and landing on our feet, allowing ourselves to persevere and dream, and her new memoir High Hopes.   Also in this episode: -capturing story -leaning into dialogue -why it's never too late to move forward Books mentioned in this episode:  -Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy -Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen -Educated by Tara Westover -Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs   Anne Abel is an author, storyteller, and influencer with over 700 thousand followers. Her first memoir, Mattie, Milo, and Me, (2024), about unwittingly rescuing an aggressive dog, was inspired by her Moth StorySLAM win in New York City. Her second memoir, High Hopes, was inspired by her Moth StorySLAM win in Chicago. It will be published September, 23, 2025. In January, 2025 she was featured in Newsweek, “Boomer's Story About How She Met Her Husband of 45 Years Captivates Internet.” She holds an MFA from The New School for Social Research, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a BS in chemical engineering from Tufts University. She has freelanced for multiple outlets over the course of her career.   Anne lives in New York City with her husband, Andy, and their cavapoo puppy, Wendell. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok: @annesimaabel Connect with Anne: Instagram, TikTok, FB @annesimaabel Website: www.anneabelauthor.com High Hopes: A Memoir: https://a.co/d/88HiMkb Mattie, Milo, and Me: A Memoir: https://a.co/d/aiDwCqw – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book. More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social Background photo credit: Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash Headshot photo credit: Sarah Anne Photography Theme music: Isaac Joel, Dead Moll's Fingers