“Not that my work is superior to Rear Window , but I thought—what’s more interesting than a broken leg? A broken mind.” —A.J. Finn A. J. Finn is the author of The Woman in the Window , the #1 internationally-bestselling phenomenon published in more than forty languages and adapted for the screen as a film starring Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, and Julianne Moore. His second novel, End of Story , was released in February 2024. Among other things, A. J. and Carter discuss how previously working in publi...
Jul 10, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 189
“If I'm going out to sea, I'm doing it in a ship I built, not in the piece of crap they want me to build." – Matt Goldman quoting Jerry Seinfeld Matt Goldman is a New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy Award winning television writer. He has been nominated for the Shamus Award and Nero Award. Matt's television writing credits include Seinfeld, Ellen, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Among other things, Matt and Carter discuss the writing behin...
Jul 03, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 188
“The best part of writing that first, terrible book was realizing I could write a book. That changed everything.” – Joshua Moehling Joshua Moehling is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ben Packard series. The first book, AND THERE HE KEPT HER, was a Barnes & Noble monthly Mystery/Thriller pick and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ+ Mystery. His second novel, WHERE THE DEAD SLEEP, was described as “a well-paced whodunit” and “devastating” by The New York Times . Am...
Jun 21, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 187
"Two simple words—'what if'—can create thousands of novels." – Traci Abramson Traci Hunter Abramson was born in Arizona, and after graduating from Brigham Young University, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, eventually resigning in order to raise her family. She recently retired after twenty-six years coaching her local high school swim team. She has written forty-five best-selling novels and is an eight-time Whitney Award winner, including 2017 and 2019 Best Novel of the Year. Amon...
Jun 13, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 186
Cynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker Award winning and International Latino Book Award winning author and poet. She is the first Latina in history to win a Bram Stoker Award. Pelayo writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore concepts of grief, mourning, and cycles of violence. She is the author of Loteria, Santa Muerte, The Missing, Poems of My Night, Into the Forest and All the Way Through, Children of Chicago, Crime Scene, and more. Among other things, Cynthia and Carter discuss having a day j...
Jun 06, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 185
Bob Johnson is an award-winning short story writer and graduate of the lowa Writers’ Workshop. His work has been published by The Common , Philadelphia Stories , Vol. 1 Brooklyn , The Barcelona Review , and elsewhere. His story "The Continental Divide" was named Short Story of the Year in The Hudson Review . Among other things, Bob and Carter discuss growing up with undiagnosed ADD, writing without thinking of the odds of getting published, and getting reviewed by the New York Times. At the end ...
May 30, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 184
G.T. Karber is a mystery writer, computer programmer, and the creator of Murdle , the USA Today and #1 Sunday Times bestselling murder-mystery puzzle book series. The first two paperback volumes of Murdle were published in 2023, with the third volume published in March 2024. In 2023, Murdle was the UK Christmas #1 bestseller, making Karber the third non-British author to achieve a Christmas number one, after Dan Brown and Michelle Obama. He earned his MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. A...
May 24, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 183
Emily Carpenter is the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of suspense novels, Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, The Weight of Lies, and Every Single Secret. After graduating from Auburn with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication, she moved to New York City. She’s worked as an actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant for the CBS shows, As the World Turns and Guiding Light. Among other things, Emily and Carter discuss Emily’s move from the South to New York...
May 16, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 182
Lori Brand is a lifting enthusiast, group fitness instructor, yoga teacher, and software quality engineer. She’s been a gymnast, dancer, Playboy model, and bodybuilder. Her time in the body wars trenches led to her realization that getting strong, rather than shrinking, is the way out. She’s published articles in STRONG Fitness Magazine, T-Nation, Inside Fitness Magazine , D’FYNE Fitness Magazine , and more. Bodies to Die For is her first novel. Among other things, Lori and Carter discuss how co...
May 08, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 181
Lisa Williamson Rosenberg is an author and psychotherapist specializing in depression, complex trauma and racial identity. She is also a former ballet dancer, with essays published in Longreads, Mamalode, The Common, and more, and fiction in Literary Mama and The Piltdown Review, where she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She graduated from Princeton University, got her Masters from Hunter College School of Social Work, and her post-masters certification in family therapy from the Ackerman In...
Apr 25, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 180
Douglas Brunt attended The Haverford School and graduated from Duke University. He was formerly a management consultant for the information tech company, Booz Allen & Hamilton, and served as a director with Idealab. Until 2011, Brunt was CEO and president of the Florida-based security software company Authentium, Inc. His first novel, Ghosts of Manhattan , was a New York Times bestseller. Among other things, Douglas and Carter discuss Douglas’s inspiration for his own podcast, the research t...
Apr 18, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 179
James L’Etoile uses his 29 years behind bars as an influence in his novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, facility captain, and director of California’s state parole system. He is a nationally recognized expert witness on prison and jail operations. He is a two-time Silver Falchion Award nominee and shortlisted for the Bill Crider Award for short fiction. Among other things, James and Carter discuss writing bei...
Apr 11, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen’s books have been translated into 40 languages, and more than 40 million copies have been sold around the world. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for VANISH) and the Rita Award (for THE SURGEON). Time Magazine named THE SURGEON one of the best mystery/thrillers ever written. Tess's first medical thriller, Harvest , marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Her novels have hit bestseller lists ever since. Among other things, Te...
Apr 04, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Andrew DeYoung is the author of The Temps , a speculative novel about the end of the world. He works as an editor at a children's book publishing company, and he lives with his wife and two children in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. The Day He Never Came Home is his first domestic thriller. Stay Away From Him is coming out in July 2025. Among other things, Andrew and Carter discuss initial fears of not being a good writer, balancing writing when you have children, and embracing variety in yo...
Mar 29, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Sydney Leigh spent several years running a seasonal business, working in the summer so she could spend cold months in cool places. Now she writes modern cozy mysteries and thinks about murder. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, and served on the board of Crime Writers of Canada from 2018-2021. Among other things, Sydney and Carter discuss how receiving feedback motivated Sydney to continue her writing journey, struggling to find an agent after having “failed” bo...
Mar 20, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Meredith Lyons collected two degrees from Louisiana State University before running away to Chicago to be an actor. In between plays, she got her black belt and made martial arts and yoga her full-time day job. She fought in the Chicago Golden Gloves, ran the Chicago Marathon, and competed for team USA in the Savate World Championships in Paris. She's a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. A Dagger of Lightning is her second novel. Her debut, Ghost Tamer, a paranormal s...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 174
Episode 173 of Making It Up is out and it’s a different one! Today we feature the brilliant voice artists Allyson Ryan and Patrick Zeller, who are the voices behind the audio version of Carter’s latest release TELL ME WHAT YOU DID. This audiobook is the very first release of Sourcebooks’ new division Sourcebooks Audio. Both Allyson and Patrick are award-winning narrators who have voiced a range of popular books, so you might recognize their voices in the episode. Among other things, they discuss...
Mar 07, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 173
Charlotte Vassell’s debut novel The Other Half was longlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger in 2024. The In Crowd, the second in the DI Caius Beauchamp series was shortlisted for Best Novel in the 2025 Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allen Poe Awards. Charlotte studied History at the University of Liverpool and completed a Master’s in Art History at SOAS before training as an actor at Drama Studio London. Among other things, Charlotte and Carter discuss Charlotte’s background in actin...
Feb 27, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 172
Kyle Prue is an award winning author, actor and comedian. He published his first novel The Sparks at just 18, which earned accolades from USA Today, Kirkus Reviews, and book festivals. Kyle later completed his trilogy with The Flames and The Ashes. Kyle received his BFA in Performance with a concentration in acting from the University of Michigan. He also has experience in many different aspects of creating films such as acting, writing, producing, and stunt-work. Among other things, Carter and ...
Feb 21, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 171
Chad Boudreaux has a broad range of government, legal and corporate experience. Prior to serving as the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Boudreaux also served in several high-ranking positions at the U.S. Justice Department, where he focused most of his time on matters relating to terrorism and homeland security. His career in the government led him to wr...
Feb 13, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 170
Midge Raymond is the author of Floreana and My Last Continent, and the award-winning short-story collection Forgetting English. Her writing has appeared in TriQuarterly, American Literary Review, the Los Angeles Times, and others. She has taught writing at Boston University and at writing conferences around the world. She earned a certificate in private investigation from the University of Washington. John Yunker is the author of the novel The Tourist Trail; editor of the Among Animals fiction s...
Feb 08, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 169
Barbara Nickless is the #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Sydney Parnell crime novels. The series has been optioned for television and has won two Colorado Book Awards and twice won the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence. Her standalone spy thriller was released in January 2025. Barbara’s essays and short stories have appeared in Writer’s Digest , Penguin Random House , and other markets. She also teaches creative writing to veterans at the University of Color...
Jan 31, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 168
Sandra Block graduated from Harvard and is a practicing neurologist. Her work has been published in the Washington Post. Little Black Lies is her debut and a finalist in the International Thriller Awards, and The Girl Without a Name and The Secret Room are the other books in the Zoe Goldman series. What Happened That Night is her stand-a-lone novel, and Girl Overboard is a Young Adult thriller. The Bachelorette Party is her newest novel. Among other things, Sandra and Carter discuss defining suc...
Jan 23, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 167
Emily Jon Tobias is an award-winning writer whose work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and has been featured in literary journals such as Santa Clara Review, Flying South Literary Journal, Typehouse Literary Magazine, and more. Her debut collection MONARCH: STORIES won the American Book Fest International Book Award and an International Impact Book Award. Emily is a mentor in the PEN Prison Writing Mentorship Program and holds a MFA in Writing from Pacific University Oregon. Among oth...
Jan 17, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 166
Pamela Statz grew up in Wisconsin and attended UW Madison, earning degrees in Journalism and History. She’s worked in media and advertising in San Francisco and Portland for Lucasfilm, WIRED, Nike, and Wieden+Kennedy. Thorn City is her first novel. Among other things, Pam and Carter discuss Pam’s experiences with writing classes, considering self publishing, and writing a book with multiple POVs. At the end of their conversation, they make up a funny short story using a line from Matthew McConau...
Jan 09, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 165
Alex Kenna is a prosecutor, writer, and amateur painter. Before law school, Alex studied painting and art history at Penn. She also worked as a freelance art critic and culture writer. Alex’s debut novel, What Meets the Eye , was nominated for a Shamus Award for best first PI novel. Kirkus Reviews called it a “righteous, painful debut,” and Bookpage called her “a master in the making.” Among other things, Alex and Carter discuss finding creative outlets after professional schooling, navigating d...
Jan 03, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Georgia Jeffries is a writer of Emmy Award-winning drama and acclaimed noir fiction, and has been honored with multiple Writers Guild Awards, Golden Globes, and the Humanitas Prize. She worked as a journalist for American Film before writing and producing Cagney & Lacey, China Beach, and Sisters. Her short stories have appeared in national suspense anthologies, and she has also written biographical and historical profiles for HuffPost, Los Angeles Review of Books, and University of Californi...
Dec 27, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 163
Rebecca McKanna is an associate professor of English at the University of Indianapolis. Her debut novel, Don’t Forget the Girl , was nominated for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award in LGBTQ+ Mystery and the 2023 Strand Magazine ’s Critics Award for Best Debut Mystery, and awarded the 2024 Indiana Authors Award for Genre Fiction. Her short stories have been anthologized in The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 and recognized as distinguished in The Best American Short Stories 2019. She has been pub...
Dec 20, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 162
Elise Hart Kipness is a television sports reporter turned crime fiction writer. In addition to reporting for Fox Sports Network, Elise was a reporter at New York’s WNBC-TV, News 12 Long Island, and the Associated Press, covering events including the Olympics, NBA and NCAA Championships, and the US Open. She is the President of Sisters in Crime Connecticut, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Key West Library. The third book in her Kate Green thrilled series, Close Call , wil...
Dec 12, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Brad Parks is an international bestselling author, and the only writer to have won the Shamus, Nero, and Lefty Awards, three of American crime fiction’s most prestigious prizes. His novels have been translated into 16 languages and have won critical acclaim across the globe, including stars from every major pre-publication review outlet. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Parks is a former journalist with The Washington Post and The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger . At the end of their conversation, Br...
Dec 06, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 160
