Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Stacy Willingham, Carolyne Topdjian, Allison Buccola, and Wanda M. Morris. We’ll be talking about the debut writer experience and their books. Stacy Willingham is the New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark. Before turning to fiction, she was a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies. She earned her BA in magazine journalism from the University of Georgia and MFA in writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her novel is currently being translated into over two dozen languages. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and Labradoodle, Mako, where she is always working on her next book. You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Carolyne Topdjian is the author of The Hitman’s Daughter (Agora/Polis Books), a gothic mystery which Library Journal lauds as a “fast-paced, haunting novel of survival." In addition to writing suspense novels, Carolyne has published short fiction in PRISM International, Dreamers Magazine, and Firewords Quarterly. She is a professor in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts at Humber College in Toronto. Currently, she lives in a 114-year-old haunted house. You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Pinterest. Allison Buccola is the author of the psychological thriller Catch Her When She Falls. Before she turned to writing fiction, she was a practicing attorney with a JD from the University of Chicago, and she also did a brief stint as a bartender in Brussels. She now lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and two kids. You can find her on her website or follow them on Twitter, and Instagram. Wanda M. Morris is the acclaimed author of All Her Little Secrets. It was named as one of the “Best Books of 2021” by Hudson Booksellers and selected as the #1 Top Pick for “Library Reads” by librarians across the country. It was selected as a Book Buzz Pick by Good Morning America, serialized in Entertainment Weekly and a Marie Claire book club pick. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Crime Writers of Color. A corporate attorney, Wanda has worked in the legal departments of some of America’s top Fortune 100 companies. As a former President of the Georgia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, she established a signature female empowerment program known as the Women’s Initiative. She is married, the mother of three and lives in Atlanta,Georgia. All Her Little Secrets is her debut novel. You can find her on her website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In this episode Stacy, Carolyne, Allison, Wanda, and I discuss: Choosing whether to tell a story with multiple timelines, flashbacks, or an epistolary format. How their characters deal with the past, secrets, and lies as the story unfolds. What role the world and the setting play in how characters process their trauma. Plus, their #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/419
Today, Lori is interviewing Natalka Burian. They’ll be talking about time travel, multiple mysteries, and Natalka’s book The Night Shift. Natalka Burian is the co-owner of two bars, Elsa and Ramona, as well as the co-founder of The Freya Project, a non-profit reading series that supports community-based activism and annually awards five unrestricted grants to further the work of women and non-binary writers. She is the author of three novels--her latest, The Night Shift, is out this summer with Park Row--and a cocktail book. Natalka grew up on a farm in Maryland but now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters. You can find her on her website or follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. In this episode Natalka Burian and Lori discuss: How to employ flashbacks effectively in your writing without overdoing it. Juggling multiple mysteries in one story while maintaining the intrigue of each. Using your readers’ drive to understand others as an engine for storytelling. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/418
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Alexis Schaitkin. We’ll be talking about tone, voice, mood and her book Elsewhere. Alexis Schaitkin is the author of Saint X and her short stories and essays have appeared in Ecotone, Southwest Review, The Southern Review, The New York Times, and elsewhere. Her fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. She received her MFA in fiction from the University of Virginia, where she was a Henry Hoyns Fellow. She lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, with her husband and their two children. You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter. In this episode Alexis Schaitkin and I discuss: Writing a story with mystery as a central premise without focusing on solving that mystery. Creating a fable-like feeling through the intentional use of tropes. The nature of community and isolation and how it relates to writing. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/417
Today, Lori is interviewing Shelley Blanton-Stroud. They’ll be talking about historical mysteries and Shelley’s book Tomboy: A Jane Benjamin Novel. Shelley grew up in California’s Central Valley, the daughter of Dust Bowl immigrants who made good on their ambition to get out of the field. She recently retired from teaching writing at Sacramento State University and still consults with writers in the energy industry. She co-directs Stories on Stage Sacramento, where actors perform the stories of established and emerging authors, and serves on the advisory board of 916 Ink, an arts-based creative writing nonprofit for children. She has also served on the Writers’ Advisory Board for the Belize Writers’ Conference. Her writing has been a finalist in the Sarton Book Awards, IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion Award, the American Fiction Awards, and the National Indie Excellence Awards. She lives in Sacramento with her husband and many photos of their out-of-town sons and their wonderful partners. Copy Boy is her first Jane Benjamin Novel. Tomboy, which we’ll be discussing today, is her second. The third, Working Girl, will come out in November 2023. You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In this episode Shelley Blanton-Stroud and Lori discuss: Creating a contemporary character in a historical fiction novel. How we create our identity versus how we reveal our identity. The important role that reading plays in developing your craft as a writer. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/416
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Michele Scott. We’ll be talking about cozy mysteries and her book Murder Uncorked. Michele Scott is an American author and the CEO/owner of equestrian sports medicine company Professional’s Choice, Inc. She has written over forty novels in various genres including thrillers, mysteries, young adult mysteries, fantasy, and women’s fiction. Her thriller Daddy’s Home from her Holly Jennings’ series written under her pen name of AK Alexander has sold over one million copies and was the #1 bestselling book in the UK Amazon. Her thriller Mommy, May I? and was number 2 on the Amazon list. Michele’s bestselling mystery series (The Wine Lover’s Mysteries) has gone into multiple printings and has been optioned by a Los Angeles based producer and production company. Michele is a lifelong equestrian, having horses since she was five-years-old. If you don’t find her at her desk writing, you’re sure to find her at the barn! You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. In this episode Michele Scott and I discuss: Why you need to be prepared to figure out a way to make it happen with your writing. Common characteristics of cozy mysteries and what keep readers coming back. How she uses outlines and character sketches without getting bogged down. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/415
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Scott Gates. We’ll be talking about his novel, Gone, the Redeemer. Scott Gates is the author of Hard Road South, published by Blue Ink Press. He is a magazine editor and a second-generation communicator for rural electric cooperatives. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Auburn University and a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Scott grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, and currently lives in North Carolina with his wife and three kids, where he enjoys a slower pace of life and reliable barbecue options. He and his brother share perspectives on Southern culture at incidentalist.com. You can find him on his website or follow him on Facebook and Instagram. In this episode Scott Gates and I discuss: Truth in a first-person narrative, especially when the protagonist is unreliable. The traditions of travel literature and including Classical structures in modern literature. How to balance writing and the research rabbit hole so you can maintain your momentum. Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/414
Today, Lori is interviewing Taylor Hahn. They’ll be talking about her debut romance novel, The Lifestyle. Taylor is a second-grade teacher turned lawyer turned author. After graduating from Loyola Marymount University, she joined Teach for America and taught in Brooklyn for two years before attending Fordham University School of Law. She then worked as a litigation associate at a firm in Manhattan and then LA while working on her novel in her spare time and taking fiction writing classes. The Lifestyle is her first novel. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and THE best dog in the universe. In this episode Taylor Hahn and Lori discuss: What makes a sex scene fun to read and her advice on how to write one. How to make a flawed, meddlesome character likable to your readers. The rise of emotional intelligence and communication in Millenial romance. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/413
Today, Lori is interviewing Rebecca Scherm. They’ll be talking about her science fiction-thriller novel, A House Between Earth and the Moon. Rebecca Scherm is the author of Unbecoming. She lives in California with her family. In this episode Rebecca Scherm and Lori discuss: The psychic toll writing near future speculative fiction can take on a parent. Why it is so important to safeguard your passion and her advice for doing so. What she means when she says she has a conversation with a genre. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/412
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer McMahon. We’ll be talking about her genre-defying novel, The Children on the Hill. Jennifer McMahon has been lauded by Chris Bohjalian (The Flight Attendant) as “a worthy literary descendent of Shirley Jackson.” She is the author of eleven novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Promise Not to Tell and The Winter People. McMahon is in the LibraryReads Hall of Fame. She lives in Vermont with her partner, Drea, and their daughter, Zella. In this episode Jennifer McMahon and I discuss: Why she had multiple false starts on her latest novel and what finally inspired her to finish. How she developed the idea of secrets and her process for layering them throughout the plot. What is a monster, what makes something monstrous, and why that distinction is important. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/411
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Brett Riley. We’ll be talking about his YA fantasy/thriller novel, Freaks. Brett Riley is the author of The Subtle Dance of Impulse and Light (Ink Brush Press), Comanche (Imbrifex Books), Lord of Order (Imbrifex), Freaks (Imbrifex), and Travelers (2022). His short fiction has appeared in journals such as The Baltimore Review, F(r)iction, Solstice, Folio, The Evansville Review, and many others. His nonfiction has appeared in CrimeReads, Role Reboot, Broad River Review, Rougarou, Green Hills Literary Lantern, Literary Orphans, Under the Gum Tree, Wild Violet, and Foliate Oak Magazine. He lives in Henderson, NV. In this episode Brett Riley and I discuss: How he portrayed and deepened the bond between his main characters. The double-sided nature of superhero powers and why he showed his characters’ weaknesses. Why it’s fascinating to let superheroes be bad and what that exploration reveals. Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/410