In honor of our 85th episode, we went back through the archives to bring you advice for aspiring authors from six critically acclaimed authors of literary fiction. Chelsea Bieker, Kimberly King Parsons, Samuel Kolawole, Marcy Dermansky, Jon Hickey and Cynthia Weiner all share their wisdom. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospec...
Jun 24, 2025•18 min•Ep. 85
Author Jessica Berger Gross talks with Kelley Vick about her debut novel, HAZEL SAYS NO, what draws her to exploring family dynamics in her work, constraints in crafting memoir vs crafting fiction, the importance of cultivating and trusting our own taste as writers, and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop ....
Jun 17, 2025•48 min•Ep. 84
Author Lori Gold talks with Kelley Vick about her new novel, Romantic Friction , the real-world publishing experiences that inspired the novel, AI’s changing role in the creative writing space, how big books become big books (and what authors with smaller marketing budgets can do to get their work out there), why writers need to be a little bit arrogant, and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts,...
Jun 10, 2025•45 min•Ep. 83
Author Jon Hickey talks with Kelley Vick about his acclaimed debut novel, BIG CHIEF, the yearning for belonging at the heart of this political thriller, the power of patience in writing, balancing the art of writing with the business of selling a novel, and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books f...
Jun 03, 2025•42 min•Ep. 82
Author Daria Lavelle talks with Kelley Vick about her debut novel, AFTERTASTE, the connection between food and ghosts, what draws her to speculative fiction, balancing joy and humor with grief and longing, and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on the podcast and other curated booklis...
May 27, 2025•45 min•Ep. 81
Author Anna Mitchael talks with Kelley Vick about her new book, They Will Tell You the World is Yours, the little rebellions that make our lives, finding creative inspiration outside of outlines and routines, publishing a novel in vignettes, and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on t...
May 20, 2025•43 min•Ep. 80
Author Christina Li talks with Kelley Vick about her adult fiction debut, THE MANOR OF DREAMS, our cultural obsession with haunted houses, how the sordid history behind the founding of her alma mater, Stanford University, inspired the novel, how she cultivated her own writing education (and got an agent at 16!), and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for write...
May 13, 2025•45 min•Ep. 79
Author Jessie Rosen talks with Kelley Vick about her sophomore novel ALL THE SIGNS, why writing this novel was the most powerful creative experience of her life, finding “star twins,” the writing hacks that helped her finish her second novel in a year (after taking nearly a decade on the first one), and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out...
May 06, 2025•49 min•Ep. 78
Bestselling author Sarah Penner talks with Kelley Vick about her latest novel, THE AMALFI CURSE, how she chose the magical setting for the new book, why she loves to write in dual timelines, making the leap from corporate finance to full-time author, and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books feat...
Apr 29, 2025•44 min•Ep. 77
Bestselling author Alka Joshi talks with Kelley Vick about her latest novel, SIX DAYS IN BOMBAY, the unsung Hungarian-Indian painter whose mysterious death inspired the book, writing an accidental trilogy, the 2 mistakes beginning authors make, how she persisted for 9 years to get her first novel published (which became an international bestseller), and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, tote...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 76
In a special bonus episode of Literary Prospects, author Holly Kennedy discusses her new novel, The Sideways Life of Denny Voss, how she developed Denny’s unique voice, writing a cross-genre novel, and much more. She also shares heart-stopping stories from her real life that inspire her work. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Pros...
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 75
Author Abbi Waxman talks with Kelley Vick about her new novel, One Death at a Time , how she finally sold the feel-good murder mystery she’s always wanted to write, growing up with an author mom, writing a series, and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on the podcast and other curated...
Apr 15, 2025•46 min•Ep. 74
Author and publisher Laura Stanfill talks with Kelley Vick about her new craft book Imagine a Door: A Writer’s Guide to Unlocking Your Story, Choosing a Publishing Path, and Honoring the Creative Journey ; how distribution works and why authors should care; creating a literary community, and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Lit...
Apr 08, 2025•55 min•Ep. 73
Author Roohi Choudhry talks with Kelley Vick about her debut novel Outside Women; her long road to publication, braded narratives, uncovering joy amidst migrant women’s struggle, special tricks for getting “unstuck” and writing emotional scenes; and much more. *Learn all about Roohi’s experience in the University of Michigan’s MFA program and her tips for querying over on the Literary Prospects Patreon *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary...
Apr 01, 2025•48 min•Ep. 72
Author Karen Thompson Walker talks with Kelley Vick about her new novel The Strange Case of Jane O, her obsession with time, the POV decision that made the new book fall into place, transitioning from book editor to author, teaching in a writing program, and much more. * To hear Karen’s favorite writing exercise and her advice on querying a novel, head over now to the Literary Prospects Patreon *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospec...
Mar 25, 2025•51 min•Ep. 71
Author Marcy Dermansky talks with Kelley Vick about her new novel, Hot Air, the silly writing prompt that started the book; how she knows when to continue working on a project, and when to let it go; writing multiple points of view; swimming pools; and much more. *Hear Marcy’s tips for building a community of writers, as well as the major “do’s” and “don’ts” of querying agents over on the Literary Prospects Patreon *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our...
Mar 18, 2025•47 min•Ep. 70
Author Josh Duboff talks with Kelley Vick about his debut novel, Early Thirties , his journey from senior writer at Vanity Fair to novelist, getting his dream cover interview with Taylor Swift, balancing humor and darkness in writing, finding creative flow, his best advice for aspiring authors, and much more. * To hear the dirt on Josh’s worst celebrity interview, along with his tips for conducting a great interview and for querying a novel, head over to the Literary Prospects Patreon . *For lit...
Mar 11, 2025•50 min•Ep. 69
Author Angela Brown talks with Kelley Vick about her sophomore novel, Some Other Time , what draws her to including speculative elements in her work, how years spent teaching rhetoric to high school students influences her writing, imposter syndrome, and much more. *To hear more specific tips from Angela on writing a great query letter, head over to the Literary Prospects Patreon *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For ...
Mar 04, 2025•49 min•Ep. 68
Author Jane Tara talks with Kelley Vick about her new novel, Tilda is Visible , the devastating diagnosis that inspired the book, how her regular meditation practice informs her writing, finding the courage to put more of herself into her fiction, publishing her first novel in the United States (after many others in Australia), and much more. *Hear Jane’s top tips and tools (and a secret trick) for meditating and manifesting, along with her practical advice for querying agents and publishers ove...
Feb 25, 2025•49 min•Ep. 67
Author Holly Brickley talks with Kelley Vick about her celebrated debut novel, Deep Cuts; why a desire to explore her envy of musicians led to writing the book; how, post-MFA, she found her way to writing the stories she feels she’s meant to write; the unusual (and super fun!) job that originally took her away from writing, and then led her back; and much more. *Join the Literary Prospects Patreon for extra content on querying and publishing that’s only for members! *For literary shirts, totes a...
Feb 18, 2025•39 min•Ep. 66
Five New York Times Bestselling authors: Emiko Jean, Fiona Davis, Julia Bartz, Marissa Stapley, and Lisa Barr, share their specific paths to publishing their first novels. *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on the podcast and other curated booklists, check out our online store at Bookshop.org, Literary Prospects Books . *More good stuff for writers and readers at LiteraryProspects.com ....
Feb 11, 2025•29 min•Ep. 65
Lexi Rosen, Co-Founder and Poetry Editor-in-Chief of Silly Goose Press, talks with Kelley Vick about starting and running a literary magazine, the importance of finding literary community, what it's like to work with close friends, being the only romance writer in an MFA program, and much more. *Silly Goose Press: https://sillygoosepress.com/ *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on the podcast and othe...
Feb 04, 2025•55 min•Ep. 64
Memoirist Wendy Dale talks with Kelley Vick about her new craft book, The Memoir Engineering System, the difference between a formula and a system, why most “tried and true” writing tips out there are wrong, the two principal components of a memoir, how memory can actually get in the way of a great story, how “show don’t tell” can destroy a book, and much more. *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on t...
Jan 28, 2025•45 min•Ep. 63
Author Cynthia Weiner talks with Kelley Vick about her debut novel, A Gorgeous Excitement, her personal connection to the story and the infamous “Preppy Murder” in New York in 1986, how she knew when the short story she was working on was really a novel, finding your voice as an author (it starts with really knowing your narrator), and much more. *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on the podcast and ...
Jan 21, 2025•44 min•Ep. 62
Author Tara Dorabji talks with Kelley Vick about her debut novel, Call Her Freedom , how researching her first novel led to an award-winning documentary series on human rights defenders in Kashmir, how her work as an activist and journalist informs her fiction and vice versa, her unique road to publication as the winner of the Simon and Schuster Books Like Us Grand Prize, and much more. *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop ...
Jan 14, 2025•46 min•Ep. 61
New York Times bestselling Author Fiona Davis talks with Kelley Vick about her new novel, The Stolen Queen , how an international art plot involving Kim Kardashian inspired the story, what draws her to historical fiction, how she found her way to writing fiction later in life, why she believes everyone should change careers every 10 years, and much more. *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on the podc...
Jan 07, 2025•35 min•Ep. 60
Author Jennifer McGaha talks with Kelley Vick about her new essay collection, The Joy Document , the conversation with her grandmother that inspired the project, defining moments of joy, writing as a spiritual practice, how her latest project has changed her, her road to publication, and much more. *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on the podcast and other curated booklists, check out our online sto...
Dec 17, 2024•33 min•Ep. 59
Author Sara Reish Desmond talks with Kelley Vick about her debut story collection, What We Might Become, what fascinates her about liminal spaces, why she loves the short form, publishing with a “teaching press,” her best advice for aspiring authors, and much more. *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured on the podcast and other curated booklists, check out our online store at Bookshop.org, Literary Prosp...
Dec 10, 2024•55 min•Ep. 58
Book publicist Leah Paulos talks with Kelley Vick about her latest project: Book Publicity School, what every author should do as early as possible to lay the groundwork for promotion, the connection between publicity and book sales, what works and what doesn’t for authors on social media, and much more. *Book Publicity School: https://www.bookpublicityschool.com/ *For literary shirts, totes and gifts, and other tools for writers, check out our new Literary Prospects Shop . *For books featured o...
Dec 03, 2024•45 min•Ep. 57
Authors Ashlee Cowles and Danielle Stinson – known together as A.D. Rhine – talk with Kelley Vick about their sophomore novel, Daughters of Bronze, what made the m want to retell the epic story of the Iliad from the Trojan women’s perspective, the real historical figures who inspired the characters, the blurry line between history and mythology, writing as a team (even though they have vastly different work styles) , how their friendship and growing up as “military brats” inspires their writing,...
Nov 26, 2024•46 min•Ep. 56
