Del Chatterson is an experienced writer, entrepreneur, business advisor, and cheerleader for entrepreneurs. He has over thirty years of successful business and consulting experience, he has written two business books, and is currently working on a series of crime thriller novels and a collection of short stories. His first novel in the Dale Hunter Series, No Easy Money , was published in August 2018 and the next two novels, Simply the Best and Merger Maniac , were released in the spring and fall...
Aug 17, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 99
M.P. Woodward is a veteran of both US intelligence ops and the entertainment industry. As a naval intelligence officer with the US Indo-Pacific Command, he scripted scenario moves and countermoves for US war game exercises in the Middle East. In multiple deployments to the Persian Gulf and Far East, he worked alongside US Special Forces, CIA, and NSA. His latest novel, Dead Drop , was released this May. Among other things, Carter and M.P. discuss connecting characters and readers with empathy, t...
Aug 11, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She has been honored as a Historical Novel Society Editors’ Choice selection, as a three-time finalist for the Colorado Book Awards, and as a nominee for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer of the Year. Aimie is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. Her latest book, A Bakery in Paris was just released August 1st. Among other things, Carter and Aimie discuss when the pull towards historical fiction start...
Aug 03, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Eliza Knight is an award winning, USA Today and international bestselling author. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and Novelists, Inc., the creator of the popular historical blog, History Undressed, a co-host on the History, Books and Wine podcast and a co-host for the true crime podcast, Crime Feast. Her latest release is Starring Adele Astaire . Among other things, Carter and Eliza discuss how her journalism experience has helped her historical research habits, how she used to w...
Jul 27, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Bryn Turnbull is a writer of historical fiction. Equipped with a master's of letters in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews, a master's of professional communication from Ryerson University and a bachelor's degree in English literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding stories of women lost within the cracks of the historical record. Among other things, Carter and Bryn discuss the process of writing historical fiction, how she wrote her first novel at her job at the...
Jul 13, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 95
A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting and running internet companies before retiring to focus on his true passion: writing fiction. He is the author of ten novels that have sold nearly five million copies and have been translated into twenty languages worldwide. Among other things, A.G. and Carter discuss how A.G.’s reading science fiction was an escape that escalated to writing his own work, how deciding to self-publish his first book was a means to receive feedback, and what his marketing effor...
Jul 06, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several novels. Published in 11 languages and with more than 1 million books in print, Alisa was named one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Time magazine. Alisa is a former staff writer for the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times, and holds a master's in journalism from Columbia University. Alisa is also a screenwriter and TV and film producer, and a playwright and composer with a bach...
Jun 29, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Rachael Herron is the bestselling author of more than two dozen books, including thrillers (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and she's taught writing extension workshops at both UC Berkeley and Stanford. Among other things, Carter and Rachael discuss the struggle of getting a manuscript finished, the life of a career writer, how distilling sentences is an art form, and how ...
Jun 26, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Author Christopher Flory spent ten years with various correctional departments as a probation and parole officer, specializing in the supervision of sexually based offenders and criminal street gang members. Trust Misplaced: A Paul Dodge Novel was Chris' first published novel, though he's been featured in academic journals and professional conference papers while attending undergraduate and graduate school. He’s currently working on the fourth book in the Paul Dodge series and has ideas for seve...
Jun 19, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Don Bentley is the New York Times bestselling author of the Matt Drake thriller series, including Hostile Intent, The Outside Man, and Without Sanction. Don also writes in the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. universe with Zero Hour, Target Acquired, and one forthcoming title. Don spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot; while deployed to Afghanistan as a Troop Commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VI, Don was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with “V” device for va...
Jun 08, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Kara Thomas is the author of The Darkest Corners, Little Monsters, The Cheerleaders, and That Weekend, Barnes and Noble's YA Book Club Pick for July 2021. Kara's books have been sold in multiple languages and have been nominated for the International Thriller Writers Award. In 2013, she wrote and developed the pilot The Revengers with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack for The CW. Among other things, Carter and Kara discuss why authors choose their genres, how the battle of writing comes down to t...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Tessa Wegert is the author of the Shana Merchant mysteries, including Death in the Family , The Dead Season , Dead Wind , and The Kind to Kill . A former freelance journalist, Tessa has contributed to such publications as Forbes , The Huffington Post , and The Economist . Among other things, Carter and Tessa discuss the control over situations and meditative qualities that writing grants, how authors have to surprise themselves to nail a twist, and the reality of working with multiple publishers...
May 25, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Lauren Thoman’s pop-culture writing has appeared in numerous online outlets including Parade , Vulture , and Collider. In-between article deadlines, she managed to finish a book she’d started years before and then set aside. I’ll Stop the World is now out in the world, after Mindy Kaling decided to publish it. Among other things, Carter and Lauren discuss switching up reading genres to cleanse the palate, Lauren reinventing herself as an outliner, and learning how to trust your writing voice. At...
May 18, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Rebecca Keller is a writer, an internationally exhibited artist, a college professor, a Fulbright Scholar, and recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. Her stories have been nominated for a Pushcart prize, and her debut novel You Should Have Known was released from Crooked Lane Books in April 2023. She is now working on stories about art and another novel. Among other things, Carter and Rebecca discuss the origins of and inspiration for her novel, how challenging it can be t...
May 11, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Ciera Horton McElroy is the author of the novel Atomic Family , which has received critical praise including a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Ciera holds a BA from Wheaton College and an MFA from the University of Central Florida. Her work has appeared in AGNI, Bridge Eight, Iron Horse Literary Review, the Crab Orchard Review, and Saw Palm, among others. Among other things, Ciera and Carter discuss her knowing from a young age that she wanted to be a writer, how trends in the industry wo...
May 04, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 85
An intimate, 2.5-day coaching program and retreat in Boulder, Colorado. Find community, inspiration, motivation, and confidence. Led by USA Today bestselling and award-winning novelist Carter Wilson. August 9-11, 2023. Limited to 10 participants; registration now open! www.carterwilson.com/gentle-novelist
Apr 20, 2023•4 min
Flash-fiction writer Nancy Stohlman is the author of six books including After the Rapture (2023), Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities (2018), and Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction (2020). Her work has been anthologized widely, appearing in the Norton anthology New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction and The Best Small Fictions 2019, as well as adapted for both stage and screen. She teaches at the University of Colorado Boulder and holds workshops and retreats around the world. Among oth...
Apr 20, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Hank Phillippi Ryan is USA Today bestselling and five-time Agatha Award-winning author of 14 thrillers, winning 37 EMMYs for television investigative reporting. Her newest novel is The House Guest —it’s Gaslight meets Thelma & Louise. The Publishers Weekly says, “Ryan is a master of suspense!” The Library Journal starred review calls it “Binge-worthy.” Among other things, Carter and Hank discuss riding ponies to the library growing up, Hank’s dual-career between writing and politics, and how...
Apr 17, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Samantha M. Bailey is the author of Woman on the Edge , a USA Today and #1 national bestseller; her second novel, Watch Out for Her , was an instant #1 national bestseller. As a journalist and freelance editor, her writing has appeared in Now Magazine , The Village Post , The Thrill Begins , and The Crime Hub , among other publications. Among other things, Carter and Samantha discuss how she has been writing full novels since the age of ten, risk taking and the fear of failure among aspiring wri...
Apr 06, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Kimberly Giarratano is an author of mysteries for teens and adults. Her debut novel, Grunge Gods and Graveyards, won the 2015 Silver Falchion Award for Best YA at Killer Nashville. A former librarian, she is currently an instructor at a SUNY Orange County Community College and a reviewer for BookPage. Among other things, Carter and Kimberly discuss the intricacies of describing characters, how they both find more inspiration from TV shows than reading at times, and how both like experimenting wi...
Mar 30, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Veronica G. Henry is the author of Bacchanal , The Quarter Storm , and The Foreign Exchange in the Mambo Reina series. Her work has debuted at #1 on multiple Amazon bestseller charts, was chosen as an editors’ pick for Best African American Fantasy and shortlisted for the Manly Wade Wellman Award. Among other things, Carter and Veronica discuss how being a writer changes your reading habits, how Veronica’s career began after reading a “how-to-write" book, and how many people it takes to get a bo...
Mar 27, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Tracy Clark, a native Chicagoan, is the author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series, featuring ex-cop turned PaI Cassandra Raines. Her debut, BROKEN PLACES, made Library Journal’s list of the Best Crime Fiction of 2018 and CrimeReads named Cass Raines Best New PI of 2018. The novel was nominated for a Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel, an Anthony Award for Best Debut Novel and a Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel. Among other things, Carter and Tracy discuss how Tracy’s motivation to write...
Mar 16, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Kimberly Belle is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of eight novels, including The Personal Assistant, The Marriage Lie , a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Mystery & Thriller, and the co-authored #1 Audible Original, Young Rich Widows . Her books have been published in dozens of languages and optioned for film and television. Among other things, Carter and Kimberly discuss how they both prefer to write in first-person, the benefits of treating writing like a ...
Mar 09, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Rebecca Kelley is a fiction writer from Portland, Oregon; her first novel, Broken Homes & Gardens, was published in 2015. She also co-authored The Eco-nomical Baby Guide with Joy Hatch and her most recent novel, No One Knows Us Here, launched in early 2023. Among other things, Carter and Rebecca discuss how a teacher provided early courage in Rebecca’s writing abilities, how she used a blog to get an agent, and how much of a book needs to be completed before you can get a book deal. At the e...
Mar 03, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 77
David Heska Wanbli Weiden, an enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, is the author of Winter Counts, which has won multiple awards and was nominated for an Edgar Award for Best First Novel. Weiden received his MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts, his law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Among other things, Carter and David discuss David’s childhood spent between the Sicangu Lakota Nation and the ro...
Feb 23, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Lexie Elliott has been writing for as long as she can remember, but she began to focus on it more seriously after she lost her banking job in 2009 due to the Global Financial Crisis. After some success in short story competitions, she began planning a novel. The result was The French Girl, which was published by Berkley in February 2018. This was followed by The Missing Years in 2019 and How To Kill Your Best Friend in 2021. She is now working on her fourth novel. Among other things, Carter and ...
Feb 16, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Before launching his career as a novelist, Chad Boudreaux served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has also served in several high-ranking positions at the U.S. Justice Department, where he was hired the night before the September 11, 2001 attacks. During his time at the Justice Department, Boudreaux focused most of his time on matters relating to terrorism and homeland security. His career in the government inspired him to write his debut novel, Scavenger...
Feb 09, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Mark Stevens returns to Making It Up to talk about his fantastic new novel, The Fireballer. Mark has worked as a reporter, television news producer, and in public relations. He's also the author of The Allison Coil Mystery Series and has had multiple books be finalists as well as his, Trapline, won the Colorado Book Award. In September of 2016, Stevens was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year. Among other things, the two discuss Mark’s voice and writing style for his new nove...
Feb 02, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Nuzo Onoh is a Nigerian-British writer of Igbo descent, a pioneer of the African horror literary subgenre, and hailed as the "Queen of African Horror.” Nuzo holds both a Law degree and a Masters in Writing from Warwick University. Nuzo’s works have featured in numerous magazines, podcasts, and anthologies, as well as in several academic studies and publications, and her latest novel was released last November titled, A Dance for the Dead. Among other things, Carter and Nuzo discuss her childhood...
Jan 26, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Ronald Kelly has been writing and publishing horror tales set in the American South for 36 years. A former Zebra Books author, his published works include Fear , Undertaker’s Moon , Blood Kin , Hell Hollow , and many more. His audio collection of Southern-fried short stories, Dark Dixie: Tales of Southern Horror, was included on the nominating ballot of the 1992 Grammy Awards for Best Non-Musical or Spoken Album. In 2021, his collection of extreme horror fiction, The Essential Sick Stuff, won a ...
Jan 12, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 71
