Bella Mahaya Carter i s a creative writing teacher, empowerment coach, speaker, and author of an award-winning memoir, Raw: My Journey from Anxiety to Joy, and Secrets of My Sex, a collection of narrative poems. She has worked with hundreds of writers since 2008 and has degrees in literature, film, and spiritual psychology. Her poetry, essays, fiction, and interviews have appeared in Mind, Body, Green; The Sun; Lilith; Fearless Soul; Writer’s Bone; Women Writers, Women’s Books; Chic Vegan; Bad Y...
Oct 07, 2021•49 min•Ep. 263
J.L. Torres is the author of The Family Terrorist and Other Stories , the novel The Accidental Native , and the poetry collection Boricua Passport . His short story collection Migrations won the inagural Tomás Rivera Book Prize and was just released from LARB Libros. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the South Bronx, he now lives in Plattsburgh, New York and teaches American literature, US ethnic literatures, and creative writing at SUNY Plattsburgh. He holds a Ph.D. from University of Southern ...
Sep 30, 2021•35 min•Ep. 262
Dr. Saumya Dave is a writer, resident psychiatrist, and co-founder of thisisforHER. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times , Huffington Post, Refinery29, and others.What a Happy Family is her most recent novel. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain insight from other writers on how to get in the chair, tricks to stay in it, and inspiration to g...
Sep 25, 2021•30 min•Ep. 261
Lexie Elliott graduated from Oxford University, where she obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics. A keen sportswoman, she swam and played waterpolo at university, and later swam the English Channel solo. She works in fund management in London, where she lives with her husband and two sons. How to Kill Your Best Friend is her most recent release. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you l...
Sep 17, 2021•32 min•Ep. 260
In this bonus mini-episode, Rachael talks about how to actually break free from your outline and get down to the good stuff: actually fast-drafting. How do you start? What does skeletoning your work look like? When do you know you’re ready? Don’t miss this episode, brought to you by Rachael’s awesome patrons . How Do You Write Podcast : Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain insight ...
Sep 14, 2021•19 min•Ep. 259
New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins has sold 4.5 million books worldwide and is published in more than two dozen languages around the world. Her two most recent novels were each selected as People magazine’s “Pick of the Week.” Kristan is also a cohost of the Crappy Friends podcast, which discusses the often complex dynamics of female friendships, with her friend and fellow writer, Joss Dey. Higgins lives in Connecticut with her family. Pack Up the Moon is her most recent novel. Ho...
Sep 10, 2021•37 min•Ep. 258
Cassandra Lane is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. Lane received her MFA from Antioch University LA. Her stories have appeared in the New York Times’s Conception series, the Times-Picayune, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and elsewhere. Her debut memoir We Are Bridges was published in 2021 by Feminist Press. She is editor in chief of L.A. Parent magazine and formerly served on the board of the AROHO Foundation. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with be...
Sep 03, 2021•31 min•Ep. 257
In this bonus miniepisode, Rachael talks about how to create plot twists for a good mystery, and what should I do if I’m about to miss a deadline? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 01, 2021•18 min•Ep. 256
Lisa Scottoline is the #1 bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of thirty-three novels. She has over thirty million copies of her books in print in the United States and has been published in thirty-five countries. Scottoline also writes a weekly column with her daughter, Francesca Serritella, for the Philadelphia Inquirer, which has been adapted into a series of memoirs. She has served as President of the Mystery Writers of America and has taught a course she developed, “Justice in Fiction...
Aug 28, 2021•38 min•Ep. 255
Laura Hankin is the author of Happy & You Know It. She has written for publications like McSweeney's and HuffPost, while her musical comedy has been featured in The New York Times , The Washington Post , and Funny or Die. She splits her time between NYC, where she has performed off-Broadway and acted onscreen, and Washington D.C., where she has sung to far too many babies. A Special Place for Women is her most recent release. How Do You Write Podcast : Explore the processes of working writer...
Aug 21, 2021•31 min•Ep. 254
Catriona Turner is a writer and editor currently living in Esbjerg, Denmark. A veteran of six international moves since leaving Scotland 12 years ago, she’s also lived with her family in France, Uganda, and the Republic of Congo. At her website, The Frustrated Nester , she writes about Danish living, travel, and the expat life. She has contributed a regular column to a magazine for internationals in Denmark, and her writing has featured in anthologies about international living. She also works a...
Aug 13, 2021•45 min•Ep. 253
In this bonus mini-episode, Rachael talk about when to have multiple POVs, and also tackles the question, What if I can’t cram everything I want to into this book? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 10, 2021•12 min•Ep. 252
Mark A. Alvarez II i s Hispanic-American born in Houston, Texas. He's a graduate of Texas State University, where he studied Public Relations and Mass Communications. He is a graduate of the NEW Apprenticeship, the first tech-apprenticeship program accredited by the United States Department of Labor. He is the CEO and Founder of Light Wings Promotions LLC, a digital marketing and creative branding agency based in San Antonio, Texas, where Mark currently resides. Dutybound is his first novel. How...
Aug 06, 2021•34 min•Ep. 251
From Rachael Herron's book launch, an awesome conversation between her and Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars) about what it's like to launch a book in the middle of a pandemic! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 250
In this bonus mini-episode, Rachael Herron talks about what she’s found to be the best platform-building tools for writers. Also covered: Turning your book into a screenplay What if your book just isn’t as strong as you’d like yet How do you handle not being historically accurate? Go HERE to get Rachael to be your mini-coach! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 23, 2021•23 min•Ep. 249
Patti Callaha n is a New York Times bestselling author and is the recipient of the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writer of the Year. She is a frequent speaker at luncheons, book clubs, and women's groups. Surviving Savannah is her most recent novel. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain insight from other writers on how to get in the chair, tricks to s...
Jul 15, 2021•36 min•Ep. 248
Amy E. Reichert i s an author, wife, mom, Wisconsinite, amateur chef, and cider enthusiast. She earned her MA in English Literature and serves on her library's board of directors. She's a member of Tall Poppy Writers. THE KINDRED SPIRITS SUPPER CLUB is her most recent novel. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain insight from other writers on how to get in t...
Jul 09, 2021•27 min•Ep. 247
In this bonus miniepisode, Rachael talks about how to get better about being okay writing truly crappy first drafts. Also, she talks about marketing from a trad perspective, as well as marketing memoir when your platform might be a little wobbly! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 08, 2021•30 min•Ep. 246
Karen White is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels, including the Tradd Street series, Dreams of Falling, The Night the Lights Went Out, Flight Patterns, The Sound of Glass, A Long Time Gone , and The Time Between . She is the coauthor of multiple books with New York Times bestselling authors Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig. She grew up in London but now lives with her husband and two dogs near Atlanta, Georgia. The Last Night in London is her most recent rel...
Jul 02, 2021•36 min•Ep. 245
A Paul and Daisy Soros fellow, Sanjena Sathian is a 2019 graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She has worked as a reporter in Mumbai and San Francisco, with nonfiction bylines for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Food & Wine, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Gold Diggers is her debut novel. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain i...
Jun 25, 2021•35 min•Ep. 244
Emma Straub is the New York Times-bestselling author of four novels, All Adults Here, Modern Lovers, The Vacationers and Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, and the short story collection Other People We Married. Her books have been published in twenty countries. She and her husband own Books Are Magic, an independent bookstore in Brooklyn, New York. How Do You Write Podcast : Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you lon...
Jun 18, 2021•39 min•Ep. 243
Jennifer Craven is the author of "A Long Way From Blair Street" and "All That Shines and Whispers," both works of historical fiction. In addition to her novels, she had bylines in various publications including the Washington Post, HuffPost, Motherly, Today's Parent and more. When she's not writing, she teaches fashion merchandising at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to ...
Jun 11, 2021•27 min•Ep. 242
Ilana Masad is a fiction writer, essayist, and book critic whose work has appeared in the New York Times , Los Angeles Times , Washington Post , the Paris Review , NPR, BuzzFeed , Catapult , StoryQuarterly , McSweeney’s Internet Tendency , as well as several others. All My Mother’s Lovers is Masad’s debut novel. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain insight...
Jun 04, 2021•29 min•Ep. 241
Kathryn Nicolai is the creator of the enormously successful podcast Nothing Much Happens and the author of the book of the same name. Nicolai is an architect of coziness, writing soothing stories that both ease the reader into peaceful sleep and teach the principals of mindfulness so that waking hours likewise become sweet and serene. She leans on her years of experience as a yoga and meditation teacher to seamlessly blend storytelling with brain training techniques that build better sleep habit...
May 27, 2021•32 min•Ep. 240
Kirsty Capes works in publishing and, as a care leaver, is an advocate for better representation for care-experienced people in the media. She recently completed her PhD which investigates female-centric care narratives in contemporary fiction, under the supervision of 2019 Booker prize-winner, Bernardine Evaristo. Careless is her first novel. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to ...
May 21, 2021•34 min•Ep. 239
Meghan Scott Molin comes to writing by way of a Masters in Architecture, a minor in Opera, a professional career as a barn manager, and five years crash course as a mother. She currently resides in Colorado with her fellow zookeeper (husband), sons, horse, adopted stray cats, and corgi. She is an avid lover of everything nerdy from Wars to Trek, Hobbits, Who, and beyond. When she's not writing, she's cooking, dreaming of travel, coveting more corgis, and listening to audiobooks while hanging out...
May 13, 2021•31 min•Ep. 238
Kristin Beck first learned about World War II from her grandmother, who served as a Canadian army nurse, fell in love with an American soldier in Belgium, and married him shortly after VE Day. Kristin thus grew up hearing stories about the war, and has been captivated by the often unsung roles of women in history ever since. A former teacher, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Washington and a Master's in Teaching from Western Washington University. Kristin lives in t...
May 07, 2021•24 min•Ep. 237
Kathleen West's novels, Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes and Are We There Yet?, have been best books picks by Real Simple , Newsweek , People Magazine , Entertainment Weekly , Good Morning America, Pop Sugar, and the New York Post . A teacher for 20 years before she published her first novel, Kathleen is particularly interested in the topics of motherhood, ambition, competitive parenting, and the elusiveness of work-life balance. She is a life-long Minnesotan and lives in Minneapolis with h...
Apr 30, 2021•31 min•Ep. 236
Nancy Stohlman is the author of four books of flash fiction including Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities (a finalist for a 2019 Colorado Book Award), The Vixen Scream and Other Bible Stories (2014), and The Monster Opera (2013). She is the creator of The Fbomb Flash Fiction Reading Series and FlashNano in November. Her craft book, Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction, is forthcoming from Ad Hoc Fiction in 2020. She teaches writing and rhetoric at the University of Colorado Boulder. When s...
Apr 23, 2021•46 min•Ep. 235
Bonus mini-episode, brought to you by my mini-coached Patrons! Question include: Should I write a book proposal? What’s fictionalized memoir, anyway? And how can I learn to revise my book? Books mentioned: Moonglow, Michael Chabon - https://amzn.to/3dmmg3Z How Should a Person Be, Sheila Heti - https://amzn.to/3dm81fH Dept. of Speculation, Jenny Offill - https://amzn.to/3abGUlh For revision: Story Engineering, Larry Brooks - https://amzn.to/3gi8Rfc Anatomy of Story, John Truby - https://amzn.to/3...
Apr 19, 2021•16 min•Ep. 234
