Episodes

Monday Aug 26, 2019
Melissa DeLaCruz On Maintaining Creative Spark Through 50 Novels
Monday Aug 26, 2019
Monday Aug 26, 2019
Today’s guest is Melissa DeLa Cruz #1 New York Times bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages. With her 50th novel The Birthday Girl releasing earlier this month. Melissa joined me to talk about longevity in publishing, retaining the spark of creativity, and how writers need community.
Links for Melissa:
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Monday Aug 19, 2019
Writing Tough Topics for Teens with Jamie Beth Cohen
Monday Aug 19, 2019
Monday Aug 19, 2019
Today’s guest is Jamie Beth Cohen, author of Wasted Pretty. A writer and storyteller who works in higher education, her non-fiction has appeared in The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, and Teen Vogue. Jamie joined me today to talk about writing tough topics for teens, getting non-fiction pieces published, and the dangers of embracing the myth of the solitary writer, plus how community can help.
Links for Jamie:
Website: http://www.jamiebethcohen.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jamie_Beth_S
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamieBethWriter/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wastedpretty/
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Wasted Pretty by Jamie Beth Cohen: https://amzn.to/2SqTC5Q
All the Walls of Belfast by Sarah Carlson: https://amzn.to/2LB1fVH

Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
Representing the Midwest in Fiction with J. Ryan Stradal
Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
Wednesday Aug 14, 2019
Today’s guest is J. Ryan Stradal. His first novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, was published by Viking in 2015, and reached the New York Times Hardcover Best Seller list.
His short fiction has appeared in Hobart, The Rumpus, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Review of Books, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Electric Literature, and Midwestern Gothic, among others.
His second novel, The Lager Queen of Minnesota, is available now.
J Ryan joined me today to talk about representation of the Midwest in popular culture, the rising importance of microbreweries in small communities, and the lost stories of the middle class.

Monday Aug 05, 2019
The Key To Writing YA Horror: Chelsea Bobulski
Monday Aug 05, 2019
Monday Aug 05, 2019
Today’s guest is Chelsea Bobulski who graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in history. As a writer, she has a soft spot for characters with broken pasts, strange talents, and obstacles they must overcome for a brighter future. Her debut young adult novel, THE WOOD is available now. Her next release REMEMBER ME releases August 6th.
Chelsea joined me today to talk about querying for five years, the stress of breaking up with her first agent, and the importance of maintaining a polite, professional attitude while in the query trenches, learning how to balance writing the next book against the time investment of marketing your backlist and the key to writing horror, especially for younger audiences.
Links for Chelsea
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Wasted Pretty by Jamie Beth Cohen
All the Walls of Belfast by Sarah Carlson
A Map for Wild Hearts: How to Make Art Even When You Are Lost by Andrea Hannah