Both The Editor and A Star is Bored have young, gay, male protagonists who find mentors in older, more powerful, albeit very different women. Both books are based a bit in reality of some sort. Oh, and Byron and Steven just happen to be live-in partners who both happen to be writers. They tell Jeniffer what inspired them to write their novels, what it's like living with another writer, their respective writing processes, and more. There's some fun anecdotes shared and a lot of questions answered...
Oct 27, 2020•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast In another partnership with San Diego’s Warwick’s Books, Jeniffer talks with Literary Agent and Author, Bill Clegg. In this episode, they discuss his latest book, The End of the Day, and do a deep dive into the philosophical questions raised about class, agency, privilege, and power through the eyes of his protagonist, Dana. It’s like a mini book club, and may help you see the book in a new light, or raise some questions of your own about what really matters at the end of the day. Find His Agenc...
Oct 20, 2020•51 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Linda Olson was in her late twenties, newly married, and a doctor when she was in a horrible accident while on vacation with her family. The aftermath left her without her legs and her right arm. She thought she would lose her husband too. But it turns out, she adapted and so did he. In this episode Linda tells Jeniffer and Chad about her experience, and how she overcame what seems from her telling, the minor setback of finding yourself with only one limb to work with. Her story is full of adven...
Oct 13, 2020•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. In this episode, Wall Street Journal reporter, Justin Scheck talks with Jeniffer about his experience covering the Saudi royal family and the wild reality behind its power hungry prince. Blood and Oil, is a fascinating glimpse into the politics of oil, and how staggering wealth and unchecked ambition created what most would consider a true monster. MBS ordered the ruthless murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, proposed creating a city with a fake ...
Oct 06, 2020•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Set My Heart To Five is a book that examines the oddities of human behavior by observing them from the outside, via an Android named Jared. It's set in 2054 in what Simon calls a Mistopia. He and Jeniffer talk about how he came up with the idea for the novel and the ways we may relate to Jared when we really start thinking about it. They discuss how he transitioned from Doctor to Writer, a bit about his creative process, and whether he prefers writing screenplays or novels. They share their opin...
Sep 29, 2020•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sigrid Nunez is what may be considered a writer's writer, and she references other writers and the art itself often in her newest book, What Are You Going Through. In this episode she tells Jeniffer about her writing process—which starts with just the all important first sentence and builds from there—weaving a whole world by answering the questions that first sentence asks. Sigrid also tells Jeniffer what inspires her to write, and how she decided on the Stream of Consciousness style for What A...
Sep 15, 2020•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ann Gonzales is the creator and facilitator of Easel Does it-Art and Recovery workshops and author of the magnificent children's book, Beloved and the Pepper Tree. She Considers herself an artist and seeker. She talks with Jeniffer about how the idea for her book came about, the process of finding her illustrator, and how she's built her brand with clever ideas and creative projects. Beloved and the Pepper Tree is her first book and it deals with facing change and the challenges that brings. Fin...
Sep 08, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jeniffer and Chad talk with John Vorhaus about what it takes to be a good comic writer and how some of those things may be inborn. They discuss everything from his writing process, and his experience teaching comedy writing all over the world, to ultimate frisbee, poker, and dumb jokes. And, yes, there really was a Russian version of Married with Children. John worked on that show and learned some valuable lessons about how comedy isn't always universal. So, knowing your audience is key....
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jan Eliasberg has written and directed for theater, film, and television, including shows like Miami Vice, Criminal Minds, and Nashville. In this episode Jeniffer and Chad speak with Jan about her novel, Hannah’s War. The novel was inspired by, and tells the story of, Hannah Weiss, a Jewish physicist working on splitting the atom. Hannah realizes the destructive potential of her work but as a woman, was not listened to, nor credited. Jan talks about how she was inspired by her discovery of the r...
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sara Schaefer is an Emmy winning stand up comedian and comedy writer who's been featured on too many comedy shows to mention. If you don't already know her work, you're missing out. This episode, in another partnership with Warwick's Books, goes deep into the process of how Sara wrote her memoir, what she learned from it, and covers topics everyone can relate to. You'll also get to hear Sara read a passage from Grand, about an all too familiar bad haircut experience. But, of course, you'll have ...
Aug 18, 2020•49 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Charles Rosenberg is not only the author of several novels based on imagined history, but a Law professor and script consultant for several Prime Time television shows, such as LA Law and Boston Legal. Charles gets his inspiration from examining history and observing the present to imagine how the past could have been vastly different just by a change in circumstance. Jeniffer talks with him about his most recent work, The Day Lincoln Lost, and how by imagining an alternative past he ended up cr...
Aug 11, 2020•29 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast You might suspect Brad Thor's background hosting the TV series Traveling Lite had something to do with his interest in international espionage and adventure, and you'd be right. Brad tells Jeniffer about what got him started as a writer, how he created his series protagonist, Scot Harvath, and how that character has changed over the course of writing 20 books. You'll find out how Brad's path to success is an interesting story of hard work, dedication, and some honeymoon trip kismet....
Aug 04, 2020•49 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast The San Diego Writers Festival was born out of a passion to unite our community through storytelling and to give a voice to those who often feel voiceless. We celebrate inclusivity and accessibility, creating a day that celebrates all races, genders, religions and abilities. If you missed our inaugural event, we’re pleased to announce that we will continue to offer year-round programming and resources for writers. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list for what’s to come in 2019, and what’s on...
Jul 21, 2020•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s episode goes into detail about how and why Ackerman wrote his latest novel, Red Dress in Black and White . You’ll hear how his work is informed by his experience living overseas and how his themes are born out of real world events. This episode is a detailed exploration of his creative process. Oh, and it turns out, Eliot was also in the CIA, and Jeniffer tries to get him to reveal what he may know about a certain agency plot involving a 1980’s Hair Metal band and the Cold War....
Jul 07, 2020•41 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast In today’s episode Jeniffer and Chad talk with Carlos De Los Rios about Hollywood insider stuff, how he came into screenwriting, and some of the work he’s done. They get into some details of his first producer credit, the documentary, The Curse of the Man Who Sees UFOs. They talk Hollywood film history, tropes, and speculate as to the future of filmmaking in a post-COVID world. Carlos also has some suggestions for good stuff to stream right now, since production is currently halted. And you’ll b...
Jun 23, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s episode is a conversation in partnership with Warwick’s Books. Jeniffer talks with Jason Stanley about his latest book, How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. Stanley is a Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and contributor to publications such as NYT and Boston Review. He also serves on the board of the Prison Policy Initiative. He explains how Fascism is insidious in that it’s not just a regime. It’s many things. It’s policy. It’s language and rhetoric. And it’s dangero...
Jun 09, 2020•50 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Mark Coker, founder of the ebook publishing and distribution platform, Smashwords talks with Jeniffer and Chad about the world of Indie publishing. He tells them about why and how he started Smashwords, the inner workings of the machine that is Amazon, how Smashwords is different, and they discuss what it really means to be an Indie author. And of course, there are some fun, off topic musings about talking Japanese toilets.
May 26, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode Author and Artist, Keith Rosson chats with Jeniffer and Chad about his latest novel, Road Seven; a genre-bending mix of character driven literary fiction and Sci-Fi/fantasy. There's talk of everything from exploding whales, to unicorns, to how important consuming art is in relation to creating it. And of course, some excellent, practical advice on the writing process, query letters, the benefit of writing groups, and what inspires Keith to write what he does....
May 12, 2020•53 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast Marni Freedman, writing coach and co-founder of the San Diego Writer's Festival joins Jeniffer and Chad to discuss how physical distancing and Covid-19 challenges us and how we can respond. Marni discusses her new book, Writing to Heal, why she wrote it, and her process. She also explains how writing brings about mindfulness and ways we can use writing to cope and heal, now and always. There's also some talk of personal journeys,preppers, old cars, cheese puffs, and overcoming those little disas...
Apr 29, 2020•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today on The Premise Chad and Jeniffer talk to Jerry Yudelson about his role in the first Earth Day, his newest book, "The Godfather of Green", and how we can look to other cultures and even the past to create solutions for now and the future. Jerry is a Harvard and Cal Tech educated civil and environmental engineer and the author of 14 books on global green building and sustainable design. He reminds us that small things we do can make a difference, and also of the progress we've made, despite ...
Apr 22, 2020•52 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast Jeniffer and Chad talk with Jeff Ourvan in this episode. Jeff is currently a literary agent, writer and writing coach. They talk about his past as a corporate attorney, the wonder of rocks and fishing, and how Jeff ended up where is today after a past full of varied careers. You'll learn about the value of workshops and a fancy educations, or lack thereof, the state of Indie publishing, and many more valuable tidbits. There also happens to be a brief discussion of a UFO sighting. But Jeff says h...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Eilene Zimmerman, long-time journalist and contributor to The New York Times talks with Jeniffer and Chad about her new memoir, Smacked:A Story of White Collar Ambition, Addiction and Tragedy. Eilene shares how she was oblivious to her successful ex-husband's addiction until tragedy struck. She also explains her process in deciding how and why to tell her story. This is an eye-opening episode on hidden realities, but as usual, there's some fun book talk and interesting musings from the hosts and...
Apr 08, 2020•57 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast While Warwick's may have canceled their in-house author events, they're still shipping books. Help independent bookstores and keep yourself safe and entertained in these unsure times. Julies Picks Warwick's San Diego Writer's Festival
Apr 06, 2020•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Elise is most interested in well-written narrative non-fiction (particularly trade-friendly history, cultural studies, and science) as well as character-driven literary fiction. Some of Elise's representative non-fiction titles include Cynthia Barnett’s Rain: A Natural and Cultural History (Crown), which was long-listed for the National Book Award and the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award; Meera Subramanian's A River Runs Again: India’s Natural World in Crisis, from the Barren Cliff...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jeniffer and Chad talk to Audio Book Narrator, Writer and Performer Tavia Gilbert. They discuss her background in theater and how one ah-ha moment sparked her passion. She tells them how she got her start narrating audio books and the details of the process that goes into it. Gilbert gives some good tips on having an audio friendly voice, talks about how her past informs the tone of the characters she narrates, and proves that when one door shuts, there is always another way in. This one might a...
Mar 25, 2020•55 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Gloria Chance is a Creative/Expressive Arts and Peak Performance Psychologist and the Founder, CEO The Mousai Group. In this episode Jeniffer and Chad talk with her about her work bringing art and business together to find creative solutions. Dr. Chance tells them about her workshops and retreats and her holistic processes to create new patterns and trigger active creative thinking. This one is a fascinating look into our minds and how our past and habits can affect our choices and limit our...
Mar 18, 2020•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Brooke Warner is publisher of She Writes Press and SparkPress, president of Warner Coaching Inc. and the author of Write On, Sisters!, Green-light Your Book, and What’s Your Book? She's also a TEDx speaker and the former Executive Editor of Seal Publishing and a current columnist at Publishers Weekly. And these are just some of her accomplishments. In this episode Jeniffer and Chad talk with Brooke about why she left traditional publishing and forged her own path forward with a mission to create...
Mar 11, 2020•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Susan Blackwell is a Broadway and TV actor, who is also a playwright and host of the talk show, Side by Side by Susan Blackwell. Chad and Jeniffer talk with her about some of the outrageous things she's done on stage as well as her experience in the corporate world and ultimate escape from it. Susan explains how she maintains balance in her life and they talk creativity, impostor syndrome, and the vampires of self-doubt that plague even the most accomplished and seemingly self-confident of us. T...
Mar 04, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Prolific writer and author of the NYT Bestseller, Shanghai Girls, Lisa See talks with Jeniffer and Chad about how she began writing books and how those humble aspirational beginnings turned into a life-long career. Her other works include Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and most recently, The Island of Sea Women, among several others. They discuss her writing process, her inspiration, and the time it takes to research her historical dramas. Lisa also gives a bit of a lesson on the tea making pro...
Feb 26, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Marika Flatt, Founder of PR By the Book, a book publicity firm, and Travel Editor for Texas Lifestyle Magazine talks with Jeniffer and Chad about her path to the world of publicity. You'll learn what she and other publicity firms do. And don't do. They also talk about who does what during the book marketing process and what's expected of authors themselves. Marika tells The Premise how she manages to do all she does, and what it's like to own your own business and work with your spouse—which Jen...
Feb 19, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
