Episodes

Monday Jul 03, 2023
Monday Jul 03, 2023
Today's guest is Alexandra Bracken author of Silver in the Bone. Alex joined me today to talk about the difficulty of separating the artist from the art, and how a brush with a fascinating piece of family history inspired her newest novel - but took almost ten years to come together.
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Monday Mar 28, 2022
Farah Jasmine Griffin On Race and Politics & How Literature Illuminates Both
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Farah Jasmine Griffin joined me today to talk about her new book from WW Norton, Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature. Also covered - the importance of education, freedom of political thought, book banning and the impact of literature on those whose voices are silenced.
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Monday Mar 21, 2022
Lauren Kate On Writing Within The Publishing Industry & Meeting Your Heroes
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Today's guest is Lauren Kate, author of By Any Other Name, a rom-com set within the publishing industry. Lauren joined me to talk about meeting your heroes, writing about writing, and how - and when - to separate the art from the author.
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Monday Oct 04, 2021
Harper Collins Editor Ben Rosenthal On the Editor / Author Relationship
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Today's guest is my own editor, Ben Rosenthal of Katherine Tegen Books. Ben joined me to talk about the misconceptions of the author / editor relationship, why there is such a long lead time in traditional publishing, and the difficulty of reading for pleasure when books are your job.
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Monday Oct 14, 2019
Sherrilyn Kenyon On Letting Characters Drive Story
Monday Oct 14, 2019
Monday Oct 14, 2019
Today's guest is Sherrilyn Kenyon, best-selling US writer of the Dark Hunter series. Sherilyn has published over 80 novels under her own name and also under the pseudonym Kinley MacGregor who writes historical fiction with paranormal elements.
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Tuesday May 14, 2019
Tuesday May 14, 2019
Today brings a special guest to the show. Number one internationally bestselling author Jeffery Deaver dropped by to talk about his newest release - The Never Game - which introduces a new series character, Colter Shaw. Also covered: character as setting, blending the world of survivalism with gaming, and writing a message without hitting your audience over the head with it.

Monday Oct 22, 2018
How to Capture Middle Grade Voice With Tara Gilboy
Monday Oct 22, 2018
Monday Oct 22, 2018
Today’s guest is Tara Gilboy who holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, where she specialized in writing for children and young adults. Her middle grade novel, Unwritten, was published by Jolly Fish Press just this month. She teaches creative writing in San Diego Community College’s Continuing Education Program and for the PEN Writers in Prisons Program.
Tara joined me today to talk about selling her book without an agent, and how to process criticism from critique partners. Also Covered: exercises to help you capture middle grade voice, and how to find critique partners both online and in real life. And, can writing be taught or is it intuitive?
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Monday Jul 09, 2018
Monday Jul 09, 2018
Today’s guest is Abigail Johnson, author of the YA contemporary titles EVEN IF I FALL, THE FIRST TO KNOW and IF I FIX YOU. She became a tetraplegic after breaking her neck in a car accident when she was seventeen, but hasn’t let that stop her from bodysurfing in Mexico, and becoming a published author. Abigail speaks with host Mindy McGinnis about the process of getting an agent, how branding can limit your writing in some ways once you have a career, the ease of world building when writing contemporary – not to be confused with the idea that writing YA is easy - and how Abigail’s accident shapes her unique perspective of life and people, and where to find her online.
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Monday Dec 25, 2017
December Roundup & Tips For A Healthy Reading LIst
Monday Dec 25, 2017
Monday Dec 25, 2017
The December roundup episode with host Mindy McGinnis, as well as tips on how to round out a healthy reading list fro 2018.
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Monday Sep 11, 2017
Jeff Zentner: Drawing Inspiration From Real Life
Monday Sep 11, 2017
Monday Sep 11, 2017
Host Mindy McGinnis is joined by Jeff Zentner, author of the William C. Morris Award winning and Carnegie Medal longlisted book The Serpent King (2016). Jeff shares about how his love of music led him into a career as a novelist, drawing inspiration from people in real life to populate the pages of your fiction, and how to effectively write the opposite gender.
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