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Behind the Book is hosted by authors Tess Thompson and Karen McQuestion, both of whom have a passion for books, lack filters, and are too curious for their own good. Listen to insider scoops, insightful conversation, and lots of laughs as they chat with bestselling authors and other top publishing industry insiders. Join them to find out the real story behind your favorite books and authors. New episodes are dropping, every week. Give or take. Depending. Produced by the incredible Craig A. Hart.
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Behind the Book
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Jayne Ann Krentz Talks About the Art of Reinvention
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Tess & Karen couldn't believe their good luck in landing Jayne Ann Krentz as a guest! The author of over 50 New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 35 million copies of her books …
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Lindsay Buroker On Her Career as a Prolific Indie Author
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Lindsay is a full-time independent fantasy and science fiction author who loves travel, hiking, tennis, and vizslas. She's written over a hundred novels, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list, and has been twice nominated for a Goodreads Readers' Choice Award. Tess and Karen loved hearing about how she got her start in publishing, why she decid…
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Kim Taylor Blakemore on Allowing Characters to Speak
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Kim Taylor Blakemore is the bestselling author of After Alice Fell and The Companion, as well as young adult novels Bowery Girl and Cissy Funk, winner of the WILLA Literary Award. She is also the recipient of a Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award and three Regional Arts & Culture Council grants. In addition to writing historical novels about fi…
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Julianne MacLean on Having Creative Freedom
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Tess & Karen loved interviewing their friend and accomplished author, Julianne MacLean. Julianne is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the popular Color of Heaven series. MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewer…
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Reaching Readers with Heather Wheeler Sadlemire, Owner of On Top of That Marketing
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On this episode, Tess & Karen are joined by Heather Wheeler Sadlemire, book promoter extraordinaire! Listen in as she tells what drew her to book promotion, and how she helps authors find their audience. She also discusses current trends in social media (including TikTok!) and explains the advantages of authors teaming up with others when doing giv…
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MaryAnn Schaefer: Working Behind the Scenes as an Author Assistant
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We were thrilled when Tess's assistant, MaryAnn, graciously agreed to come on the show! Listen in as she explains how she got her start, the importance of keeping up to date with innovations in publishing, and why she considers customer service to be part of her job. She also divulges how she assists two authors with diverse personalities, each one…
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Freida McFadden Creates Plot Twists You Won't See Coming
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#1 Amazon bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. In today's interview she shares how she got the news that multiple parties in Hollywood were vying for the rights to her book, The Housemaid. Other topics in…
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Behind the Book
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David Koepp: Filmmaker, Screenplay Writer, and Novelist
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Director and writer David Koepp has used his storytelling skills to write screenplays for more than thirty films, including the first two Jurassic Park movies, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, War of the Worlds, Ghost Town (with the enigmatic John Kamps) and Kimi. As an author, he's penned the novels Cold Storage and Aurora. In t…
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Tess & Karen On Creating Characters that Readers Will Care About
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Collectively Tess & Karen have written more than sixty books so it's not surprising that they've picked up a few skills along the way. On this episode they discuss the art of creating complex characters who will strike a chord with readers. Using specific examples from movies and books, they describe methods writers can use to get their characters …
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Ellen Marie Wiseman and The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
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Tess and Karen loved talking to Ellen Marie Wiseman, a New York Times bestselling author of six highly acclaimed historical fiction novels. The interview covers her start as an imaginative child and concludes with a discussion of her fascinating book, The Lost Girls of Willowbrook, a novel described as a blend of fact, fiction, and urban legend. Sh…
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Tess & Karen Share Marketing Tips for Authors
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Are you an author looking for new ways to get the word out about your books? Or are you a reader wondering how authors go about marketing new releases? Well, look no further! Podcast co-hosts Tess Thompson, a USA Today Bestselling Author, and Karen McQuestion, an Amazon Charts Bestselling Author, have picked up a plethora of marketing tips and tric…
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Behind the Book
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Author Dee Ernst Believes It's Never Too Late
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Author Dee Ernst is a big believer in writing books with second chance themes! Her newest novel, Lucy Checks In, takes place in Rennes, France, a place she's visited and loves. In this interview, she talks to Tess and Karen about the contrasts between being published by a traditional New York publisher versus Amazon Publishing, and her earlier expe…
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Kayte Nunn, Author of The Only Child, on the Feeling She Gets from Writing
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This interview with Kayte Nunn was second to None (sorry, we couldn't resist!). But seriously, Kayte proved to be a delightful guest, sharing her unconventional process for writing a dual timeline novel, and explaining why writing in a genre helps authors build name recognition and a readership. Tess & Karen also enjoyed hearing how a walk near a l…
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How Debra Clopton's Writing Routine Helped Her Recover from a Life-Threatening Illness
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Tess & Karen loved talking with USA Today and international bestselling author Debra Clopton! She writes wholesome, sweet contemporary, and western romances. All told, her books have sold over three million copies. In this episode, Debra (in her charming Texas accent) tells a fascinating story of the time a sudden life-threatening illness struck du…
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Behind the Book
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Gregory Maguire, Author of WICKED: An Interview Not to be Missed!
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Gregory Maguire is a master storyteller, both in the written form and in this interview! Tess & Karen were enthralled, leading to a longer than usual episode. Listen in as Gregory tells how the process of elimination led to his writing career and how an intellectual idea sparks book ideas for him. The ladies loved learning how the composer Stephen …
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Jodi Allen Brice: How the Pandemic Inspired a Genre Change
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Jodi Allen Brice writes small town clean and sweet romance. Her previous novels, written under a different name, were paranormal romance novels, but when the virus hit, she felt compelled to write a book that would change hearts and minds. Mentioned during the interview: Margie Lawson's Writing Classes Write Better-Faster with Becca Syme Author Jod…
When Karen McQuestion's publisher rejected her book, THE MOONLIGHT CHILD, she decided to self-publish it, then poured on the marketing to give it every advantage. Eventually the novel reached the #1 spot on the Amazon Kindle charts and was the #3 bestseller in Kindle for 2021. Listen in as she shares her strategies and chats with Tess about book ma…
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Sara Rosett, Author of Cozy and Historical Mysteries
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USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett writes lighthearted mysteries for readers who enjoy atmospheric settings and puzzling whodunits. She is the author of over 30 novels in the genres of cozy and historical mystery. Sara writes nonfiction for authors, including “How to Write a Series” and “How to Outline a Cozy Mystery.” She also co-hosts a pod…
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Behind the Book
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Karen McQuestion --Three Things Every Great Novel Must Have
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Amazon Charts bestselling author Karen McQuestion describes the three things every great novel has in common. Books mentioned: The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler Save the Cat by Blake Snyder Check out Karen's writing book: Write that Novel by Karen McQuestionBy Tess Thompson and Karen McQuestion
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Behind the Book
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Editor Jacque Ben-Zekry Explains the Promise of the Premise
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Jacque Ben-Zekry of Modify Editorial Services, is a Developmental Story Editor primarily working with Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Historical novels. She also works in Screen and Stage play story development. Projects she has worked on have gone on to be New York Time’s bestsellers, Wall Street Journal Bestsellers, and A…
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How Simone St. James' Love of True Crime Inspired a Novel
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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Simone St. James writes books spanning genres and time periods. Listen to the interview to hear why she writes ghost stories, the difficulty of turning off the creative brain, and how her love of true crime led to her newest novel, The Book of Cold Cases. Writers will also be interested in hearing her…
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Behind the Book
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Elizabeth Mackey on the Art of Designing Effective Book Covers
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This episode is all about one of Tess and Karen's favorite topics--book covers! Designer Elizabeth Mackey (who lives in Alaska, not Canada as Karen said--what was she thinking?) dropped by the show to discuss trends in book covers, the importance of consistency in branding a series, and her preferred word length when it comes to titles. You'll love…
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Behind the Book
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Award-Winning Picture Book Author & Illustrator Chris Van Dusen on Creating Stories for Kids
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Welcome to what Tess calls her favorite interview of all time! Author Chris Van Dusen shares how he was chosen to illustrate Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson series, why he prefers to write in rhyme, and what he hopes kids get from his books. Tess and Karen were happy to learn the meaning of the word "gouache" and interested to find out how Chris's na…
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Susan Mallery on the All-Important Opening Line
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. After writing more than 100 books, she has a writing process that includes prewriting, plotting using the 3 Act Structure, and figuring out the GMC (goal, motivation, conflict). Tess and Karen loved hearing…
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Actor Kristin Carey Talks Story and Character
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Tess's good friend and former drama school pal Kristin Carey took time from her busy schedule to talk about the life of a working actor. She also discussed the art of storytelling and revealed the process used in creating a great character. All of this combined with a fascinating personal family story makes for a compelling interview. Kristin on Tw…
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Tess Thompson On Successfully Creating & Marketing a Series
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USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson (and co-host of this podcast) shares all she knows about writing and marketing a series. With six series under her belt, she's well versed on what readers respond to, and how to get visibility and sales for books in a series. Per usual, her co-host partner Karen, asks thought-provoking questions. Enjoy! ht…
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Behind the Book
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Mike Chen Pens Science Fiction Novels with Heart
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Mike Chen is a critically acclaimed science fiction author based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. During the interview, Tess & Karen loved hearing about his creative process and how he manages to write while working a day job and home schooling his daughter. Listen in to find out which of his novels is the book of his heart, how he uses the three…
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Behind the Book
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Heather Gudenkauf on Writing Stories of Intrigue and Suspense
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39:00
Tess & Karen enjoyed interviewing New York Times bestselling thriller author Heather Gudenkauf. From writing her first novel longhand during summer break as a third-grade teacher, to landing on bestseller lists and becoming an award-winning novelist, Heather has plenty of stories to share. Listen in as she explains why she calls her first drafts "w…
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Author Boo Walker: the Most Interesting Man in the World
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Tess dubbed author Boo Walker "the coolest guest ever." Boo has worked as a composer, musician, and wine aficionado, but he eventually found his true calling as a novelist. Listen in to hear the story of how his mother-in-law served as the inspiration for his bestselling novel, The Singing Trees. He also talks about the importance of resilience for…
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Sally Hepworth on Making the Puzzle Pieces of a Domestic Suspense Fit Together
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New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth was a delightful guest! Tess and Karen enjoyed hearing the story of how she wrote her first book as a precocious seven-year-old. More recently, she shared how she failed to maintain her cool when meeting with Amy Poehler (whose production company nabbed the rights to Sally's novel The Mother-in-Law).…
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How Suzanne Redfearn's Real Life Influences her Novels
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Bestselling author Suzanne Redfearn generously took time away from the book launch of her newest novel, Moment in Time, to speak with Karen and Tess. They loved hearing how she wrote her first novel in secret and how real life events inspire her fiction. They also discussed her preference for writing in present tense and enjoyed finding out how wri…
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Behind the Book
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Jami Davenport on Achieving her Dream as a Full Time Novelist
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Tess and Karen were thrilled to interview Tess's good friend, USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport, who writes sexy contemporary and sports romances. They were fascinated by her novel writing process, which includes seeding and layering the story, and loved learning about the tools she uses to stay on task. Other topics included her preferen…
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Behind the Book
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Susan Meissner -- On Why She Writes Historical Fiction About Those Forgotten
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Join Tess and Karen for an interview of Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction with more than three-quarters of a million books in print in eighteen languages. Her many highly acclaimed novels include her most recent, The Nature of Fragile Things, which earned a starred review in Publishers Weekly! In this episode she ta…
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Tori Eldridge - From Broadway Performer to National Bestselling Author
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Tess & Karen have never interviewed an author with such an eclectic background! A former Broadway performer, TV series regular, and martial arts instructor (she's a 5th degree black belt!), Tori's path to publication was definitely unconventional. Listen in as she talks about her bestselling Lily Wong series, her unusual approach to writing fight s…
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How Lauren Fox's Family History Inspired her Novel, SEND FOR ME
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Lauren Fox is the acclaimed author of four novels, including the instant New York Times bestseller, SEND FOR ME. Tess and Karen loved hearing how a collection of family letters inspired her latest book, and enjoyed Lauren's telling of the phone call in which she learned this same novel was chosen as A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club pick. Laure…
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Maggie Marr on How Hollywood Chooses Books for Movies
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Maggie Marr is a USA Today Best Selling author AND an attorney who provides her legal expertise in negotiating deals for films, books, and screenplays. Karen & Tess were fascinated to learn how she balances both jobs. Maggie also elaborated on the various ways books get adapted to film or TV and shared the types of film and TV projects currently in…
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Karina Yan Glaser and The Vanderbeekers Of 141st Street
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Tess and Karen loved talking to Karina Yan Glaser, a kids' book author known for her acclaimed "Vanderbeeker" series, and a standalone title, A Duet for Home. Listen as she talks about how National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) served as the jumping off point in the writing of her first book. She also discusses how her family's love of animals an…
Rea Frey is an award-winning, traditionally published author of four nonfiction books and four novels. In a addition, she runs Writeway, a business which helps writers get published and is the co-host of the Writeway podcast. Rea took a break from her busy schedule to talk to Tess and Karen about her pivot from non-fiction to fiction, how she rekin…
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Behind the Book
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Tess Thompson: From Drama School to USA Today Bestselling Author
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It's Tess Day on the podcast! Karen puts her co-host Tess squarely in the interview chair and learns a ton about her partner that she didn't know. Tess gives great advice to aspiring authors, and shares the 'ups and downs' of her publishing career as well as what inspires her. Enjoy! In the interview, Tess recommended a helpful writing guide, but w…
Elana Johnson writes clean and wholesome beach romance, because she believes everyone deserves a happily-ever-after in the golden sunset. In this episode, she discusses the importance of helping other authors, the meaning of the term market-adjacent, and how she used her kids' names to create one of her pseudonyms. Book mentioned during the podcast…
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The Team from Barnes & Noble Press Tell All
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Tess & Karen were delighted to have Julie Braunschweiger, Susan McCulloch, and Albert Wu on the show. As representatives of Barnes & Noble Press they have unique insights into the ever-evolving publishing landscape. Listen in as they talk about trending genres and sub-genres, and describe their work in bringing value to the indie author community. …
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Tess & Karen Discuss the Making of a Podcast
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After USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson came up with the concept for the Behind the Book podcast, she invited her friend Karen McQuestion to join her as co-host. From there, the two worked together to make it a reality. Listen in as they talk about the process of creating a podcast--everything from the necessary equipment, distribution cha…
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Craig A. Hart and S.J. Varengo: Brought Together by Twitter
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Authors S.J. Varengo and Craig A. Hart are co-writers who've collaborated on several series while still maintaining a fast friendship. Listen in as they talk about the time they wrote a novella in eleven days, the fun of having a writing partner, and the benefits of having a synopsis and outline prior to writing a novel. Books recommended during th…
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Heather Huffman On Declining an Agent's Advice
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42:04
On this episode, Tess & Karen welcome Heather Huffman, author of more than seventeen novels in both the romance and mystery genres. Having worked in other careers, Heather related how she became a novelist after the desire to write just wouldn't go away. She also talked about defying a high-powered agent's advice to write to genre. More topics? Dic…
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Katherine Center on Writing for the Love of It
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Tess & Karen found bestselling author Katherine Center to be a delightful guest. Her theory on why writers should follow their own compass and practice the art of self-encouragement was insightful. Listeners will also be interested in discovering why watching rom coms is part of her job as an author, and enjoy the story of the time she went to a fa…
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Jacquelyn Mitchard, Mother of Nine, Talks about The Good Son
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Tess & Karen loved talking to New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard. Best known for having her debut novel, The Deep End of the Ocean chosen as Oprah's first book club pick, she's also won numerous awards for fiction and journalism and has written books for all ages. Oh, and did we mention her nine children (none of whom will read he…
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Bookstore Owner Jill Hendrix Explains the Nicholas Sparks Effect
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Jill Hendrix is a lifelong reader and the owner of Fiction Addiction, an independent bookstore in Greenville, South Carolina. The store is known for fabulous author events, a well-read staff, and a curated shopping experience. Listen in as Jill talks about the challenges and joys of running a bookstore, and how serendipity led to having Nicholas Sp…
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Jim & Nikoo McGoldrick: Partners in Marriage and Novel Writing
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57:23
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Nikoo & Jim McGoldrick win the award for making Tess & Karen laugh the hardest of any interviewees to date. Listen in as they explain how they came to write together, the importance of the delete button, and why they consider themselves storytellers first and foremost. If this episode doesn't put a smile on your face, we're not sure what will. Enjo…
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Kent Barnard: Behind the Scenes at a Village Library
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Both Tess and Karen love libraries, so they were thrilled to interview Kent Barnard, the Library Director of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, Wisconsin. Kent revealed how libraries have evolved over the years. He also explained how new books are chosen and shared a common misconception about library jobs. Enjoy the show! Kent co-authore…
By Tess Thompson and Karen McQuestion
