Welcome to Episode 74 - How Robert Jones Jr Writes Robert Jones Jr is an author and activist. I first read his debut novel, The Prophets, and just absolutely loved it. And so when the opportunity to interview Robert, I jumped at it. This interview is such a good look into the perseverance and focuses it takes to write a novel. Robert is such a generous soul to share his journey and the lessons that he's learned along the way. This interview is touching and heartfelt. I want to say thank you to R...
Apr 22, 2021•46 min•Ep. 74
Welcome to Episode 73 - How Anjali Enjeti Writes Anjali Enjeti is an award-winning essayist and novelist. I was so excited to interview her because she has two books about to be published, both fiction and non-fiction books. But the stories behind her writing, how long she had to keep going to get these books published is just so truly inspiring. This is a great interview in perseverance. I want to say thank you again to Anjali for her time. And now, without any further ado, here is the intervie...
Apr 15, 2021•44 min•Ep. 73
Welcome to Episode 72 - How Stepanie Dray Writes This is an interview for all you history buffs out there. Stephanie Dray is a historical novelist who just happens to explore all of the same time periods that I love as well. This episode is packed with practical tips on how to research a novel, how to organize a big project, and so so much more. Stephanie is also just a wonderful person to interview. This is a good one. I want to take a moment to thank Stephanie for her time. And now, without an...
Apr 08, 2021•42 min•Ep. 72
Welcome to Episode 71 - How Christi Daugherty Writes Welcome my friends to a fantastic episode with Christi Daugherty. Christy is the best selling author of the Night School series, and shares her thoughts on how to kick off a series and so many tips for producing amazing novels. This is a fun episode, and I am so grateful to Christi for sharing so much of her writing process with me. Let's dive into it. Here is the interview with Christi Daugherty. Support the show...
Apr 01, 2021•40 min•Ep. 71
Welcome to Episode 70... 70! How Ellie Alexander Writes This episode is for anyone who loves to bake, write, and read. Ellie Alexander is the best-selling author of multiple mystery series, but what I really admire is how she has intertwined her love of baking and writing. She brings this passion to her novels, and as a result, expands her reader's experiences in a really fun and unique way. I love it all. Add onto it that Ellie has so much amazing advice and wisdom on the writing life, and I ca...
Mar 25, 2021•46 min•Ep. 70
Welcome to Episode 69 - How Catherine Coulter Writes Interview Catherine Coulter, author of 86 novels, most of them NYT Bestsellers feels a little bit like a "pinch me" moment. In this episode, Catherine and I discuss how she creates characters, some lessons she's learned after writing so many books, and how she works as a pantser. This is a fun interview. Thank you again to Catherine for her time. And now! The interview with Catherine Coulter. Support the show...
Mar 18, 2021•40 min•Ep. 69
Welcome to Episode 68 - How Lin Anderson Writes Lin Anderson is a crime and thriller writer based out of Scotland. This interview with Lin is super special. Lin's sharing and generous spirit really highlight what this entire podcast is all about. I want to say a special thank you to Lin for her time. And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with Lin Anderson! Support the show
Mar 11, 2021•44 min•Ep. 68
Welcome to Episode 67 - How Tracy Wolff writes Welcome welcome my friends. I hope everyone is having a great week of writing, and if you aren't, that is okay beause this episode is sure to fill up your inspirational buckets. Tracy Wolff is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty novels. I loved interviewing Tracy for her unbelievable wisdom about the writing process and the writing life. I'm sure you will love it as well. I want to take a second to say thank you to Tracy ...
Mar 04, 2021•45 min•Ep. 67
Welcome to Episode 66 - How Krista Davis Writes Welcome, my friends, to episode 66. I am so excited for this one. This interview with Krista Davis is so wonderful. Her spirit and wisdom is sure blow you away, especially for someone with so much experience as a working writer. I'll keep this intro short and sweet so you can get right to the good stuff. I want to say a special thank you to Krista for her time and for this interview. And now, here is the interview with Krista Davis! Support the sho...
Feb 25, 2021•45 min•Ep. 66
Welcome to Monday Motivation - Cha Cha Cha Changes So, this is an exciting podcast for me. I launched this podcast a year and change ago with just this vague idea of what I wanted it to be, and what an amazing ride it has been. I've interview so many incredible authors. Like, legit heroes of mine. A bunch of them have now become friends. I've had people reach out to me with INSANELY kind words, people reach out to me saying I missed a point pretty hard. We've launched our amazing writing communi...
Feb 15, 2021•4 min
Welcome to Episode 65- How Aliette de Bodard writes Hello, my friends, I hope everyone is having such a good week of writing. Today's episode is with Aliette de Bodard. This is a fun episode with a hugely prolific writer who is also working a full-time job and is a parent. So, for those of you who are jugging your writing with a full-time life, this episode is absolutely for you. I want to say thank you to Aliette one more time. And now, my friends, without any further ado, here is the episode w...
Feb 11, 2021•44 min•Ep. 65
Welcome to Episode 64- How Jayne Ann Krentz Writes Here we are with another interview with an insanely prolific author. Jayne Ann Krentz has over 35 million books in print, which is just an absolutely insane number. Jayne Ann shares so much wisdom and insights and with that many books in print, you can feel good knowing what you hear is the real deal. I want to say thank you again to Jayne Ann for her time. This interview was a blast. And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with ...
Feb 04, 2021•47 min•Ep. 64
Welcome to Monday Motivation - Tools in the Toolbox So we just ran one of our amazing and awesome challenges where Libbie Hawker, author of like 40-novels and the bestselling outlining book, "Take Off Your Pants." Our challenges are designed to break down tough concepts like plotting and outlining into bite-sized chunks, but sometimes this leads to writers believing that there is a universal right or wrong way to create. With this idea, it is easy to get stuck on plotting and outlining, and desi...
Feb 01, 2021•3 min
Welcome to episode 63, How JA Jance Writes. This is another interview where I just pinch myself to make sure I'm actually doing this. To interview someone with other 60 published books with a love for storytelling is a dream come true. JA Jance has such a presence. In this interview, we discuss how she was influenced by the Wizard of Oz, how she overcame people telling her she couldn't write because she was a woman and her secrets for writing great long-running series. I want to say a special th...
Jan 28, 2021•50 min•Ep. 63
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Jan 25, 2021•6 min
Welcome to Episode 62 - How Jason Pinter Writes Interviewing Jason was so fun because not only is Jason a bestseller author, he is also a publisher as well. This perspective is so wonderful. In this interview, you get both sides of the writing and publishing process. Add on top that Jason was such a wonderful and warm guest. I'm just saying... this interview is great. I want to take a quick moment and thank Jason for this interview. And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with Ja...
Jan 21, 2021•47 min•Ep. 62
For a lot of you, I know 2020 was an intense year. And, unfortunately, we've kicked off 2021 with a bang. In our world there is political and social instability. So many of you have lost your jobs or face economic insecurity. The past season has been a challenge. And... I feel you. I started a new business in 2020... arguably the worst timing in history. Ha. This show, and all of How Writers Write is not political. And that isn't because I don't have my own personal politics. I mean, I studied p...
Jan 18, 2021•4 min
Welcome to Episode 61 - How Alix Harrow Writes Episode 61 is a good one, my friends. Alix Harrow has such a wonderful perspective on the writing life. And good news! This episode will be available on YouTube in late January so if you want to see the video of Alix and I that will be available. I want to say a special thank you to Alix for her time and graciousness. And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with Alix Harrow! Support the show...
Jan 14, 2021•44 min•Ep. 61
Before the pandemic, one of my favorite places in the entire world was the Met. I loved to wander around until my feet hurt. I'm not an art historian and really don't even know that much about it, and I think that is what made the experience so great. I wasn't able to analyze the halls and halls of priceless work, instead, I just got to experience and react to them. You know that overwhelming reaction you have when you stumble on a piece of art and it just places you in a time-warp? Sometimes, g...
Jan 11, 2021•5 min
Welcome to Episode 60 - How Karen M. McManus Writes This was a fun episode to close out in 2020. It isn't every day that I get to interview a #1 NYT best selling author, and Karen was such a wonderful guest. I'm thrilled to have this interview as number 60... 60! What a crazy fun ride this has been. I want to say a special thank you to Karen for her time and graciousness. And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with Karen M. McManus! Support the show...
Jan 07, 2021•48 min•Ep. 60
Welcome to Episode 59 - How Darby Kane writes This episode with Darby Kane is more or less exactly what this podcast is all about. Darby's spirit, openness, and vulnerability touched me. I walked around on a cloud for like three days after this interview. Darby is a fantastic author and I cannot recommend Pretty Little Wife enough. Having gotten an advance copy and burning through it in a weekend, I can attest that it is fantastic. I want to thank Darby one more time for her interview. And now, ...
Dec 31, 2020•50 min•Ep. 59
Welcome to Episode 58 - How KJ Dell’Antonia Writes This is a special episode with KJ Dell'Antonia. KJ is a faculty for HappyWriter, a podcaster herself, a friend of the show, and I think we share a bunch of personality traits. This was a fun episode for me. KJ and I discuss some of the lessons she's learned in 2020, how to manage guilt and writing, and so much more. Make sure you check out KJs debut novel, The Chicken Sisters, which was a Reese's Bookclub Pick. I want to take a second to thank K...
Dec 24, 2020•43 min•Ep. 58
This week's episode is a simple thank you. Support the show
Dec 21, 2020•5 min
Welcome to Episode 57 - How Sabaa Tahir Writes Sabaa Tahir is a #1 NYT bestselling author and a wonderful person to interview. In this episode, Sabaa and I really dig down deep into the writing life, talking about the role of hope, some thoughts on world-building, and some lessons learned on writing a series. I loved this interview and I think I could have just keep talking and talking with Sabaa, but at last, time intervened. I want to say a special thank you to Sabaa for her time and graciousn...
Dec 17, 2020•47 min•Ep. 57
Welcome to Monday Motivation - Your Inner Writer By far, the most common question I am asked when I am working one-on-one with writer, is "how do I know if I am even a writer?" And, it is so common because anyone who has ever tried to write has asked themselves this question. So let me dive right in and answer you. If you have a burning desire to tell stories, you are a writer. Full stop. I believe stories don't just come from anywhere, they come from the true writer that lives inside of you. Th...
Dec 14, 2020•3 min
Welcome to Episode 56- How A.R. Torre Writes Today's interview is with best-selling author, entrepreneur, and all-around powerhouse A.R. (or Alessandra) Torre. In this interview we talk about Alessandra's new writing startup, Authors.AI which is a company that uses artificial intelligence to help authors with their development and editing process, the writing life, and so much more. This interview is a standout because Alessandra knows story. She studies it and thinks about it. And the result is...
Dec 10, 2020•44 min•Ep. 56
Welcome to Monday Motivation- Say Yes, Part two After last week's episode titled "Say Yes," I had a bunch of people reach out on Instagram and email. And I gotta say, I absolutely love it when I hear from the listeners of this podcast. Sometimes I hear such kind words, sometimes people say that something I've said didn't sit well with them, and I appreciate the opportunity to broaden my perspectives. But, regardless, I had a bunch of people reach out saying that the episode really landed with th...
Dec 07, 2020•5 min
Welcome to Episode 55 - How Christine Feehan Writes Here is another interview with a prolific author. Christine Feehan has published over 80 books. 80! This interview has so much for series writers, and people who find themselves able to just work and work and work. As I was interviewing Christine, I was again reminded of how each and every writer has to find the way in which they produce books. Christine has her way, which is to work and work work, but I've interviewed other authors who write f...
Dec 03, 2020•46 min•Ep. 55
Welcome to Monday Motivation - Say Yes Each year around this time I become extremely reflective. There is just something about the shortened days and the cold and the coming of the New Year that makes me go into this like cocoon of thoughts. I go over the past year in my mind and celebrate my wins and examine my losses. I try really, really hard not to judge myself. It is so easy to judge and then fall into the trap of believing I should have done something different. Judgment is not the point. ...
Nov 30, 2020•5 min
Welcome to Episode 54 - How Mark McGuinness Writes So before we kick off this week's episode, I want to give a quick update on HappyWriter. This last week, if you attended my live workshop on how to 3x your writing output in 2021, you'll know I introduced the evolution of HappyWriter. Like any new project, we've been building and listening and seeing what works and what needs to be tweaked. So, I have a couple changes that I want to quickly announce. First one is that HappyWriter is now entirely...
Nov 26, 2020•54 min•Ep. 54
