Novelist Maile Meloy, author of Do Not Become Alarmed joins Nicole Nelson to talk about what she learned about plot from having written for kids, learning to push through scenes, and how writing is a muscle that we need to work as much as possible, to improve. In the second half of the show, literary agent Sarah Bowlin of Aevitas Creative Manag ...…

Ahkil Sharma, author of the short story collection, A Life of Adventure and Delight, and Scott Spencer, author of River Under the Road talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about their current projects, and the art and business of writing. Download audio. (Broadcast date: July 12, 2017)By penonfire@earthlink.net (Barbara DeMarco-Barrett).

Novelist Thrity Umrigar, author of Everybody's Son, joins Marrie Stone to talk about issues of race, class, authority to tell another person's story, and the somewhat magical way this book came to her. In the second half, Elizabeth Kostova joins to talk about her novel, The Shadow Land. She discusses her connection to Bulgaria, what her researc ...…

This year, the Edinburgh Book Festival paired five Scottish writers with five writers across North and South America and sent them on a quest for truth. Two of those Outriders, Jenni Fagan and Bonnie Jo Campbell, joined Marrie Stone to talk about their journey, their observations and their findings as they traveled from New York, across the Rus ...…

British mystery and suspense writer Anthony Horowitz joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest novel, Magpie Murders. Horowitz talks about constructing a mystery, how close-up magic can help a mystery writer, the structure of a novel within a novel, and how he's been inspired by Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and oth ...…

Debut novelists Yoojin Grace Wuertz, author of Everything Belongs to Us, and Julianne Pachico, author of The Lucky Ones, join Marrie Stone. Grace discusses the politics and culture of South Korea in the 1970s. Julianne talks about growing up in Columbia, and how perceptions of that country have changed over the past ten years. Both women talk a ...…

Omar El Akkad, author of American War, and Scott Turow, author of Testimony, talk with Barbara about their new novels, how they came to be, their writing process, and more. Download audio. (Broadcast date: May 31, 2017)By penonfire@earthlink.net (Barbara DeMarco-Barrett).

Novelist Min Jin Lee, author of Pachinko, joins guest host Chris Bahnsen for the entire hour to talk about her new novel. (The show begins 30 seconds in, so patience, please.) Download audio. (Broadcast date: April 12, 2017)By penonfire@earthlink.net (Barbara DeMarco-Barrett).

Marrie Stone welcomes back Elizabeth Strout to discuss her latest novel in stories, Anything is Possible. Elizabeth talks about how the work grew out of My Name is Lucy Barton, and how she works in the short form. In the second half, Andrew Roe shares his latest collection of stories, Where You Live. He discusses the importance of place and por ...…

Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls and Ben Blatt, author of Nabokov's Favorite Word is Mauve. Download audio. (Broadcast date: May 24, 2017)By penonfire@earthlink.net (Barbara DeMarco-Barrett).

Memoirist Daphne Merkin, author of This Close to Happy, spends the entire hour on the show talking about her book and the process of writing memoir. Subscribe to the podcast of the show by visiting iTunes. Leave us a review and help the show be easier to find for others looking for it. Download audio. (Broadcast date: April 26, 2017)…

North Carolina native David Joy, author of The Weight of This World, talks about his path to publishing without an MFA, Appalachian noir, picking POV characters based on how interesting their perspective is, and more. The New York Times calls his book "bleakly beautiful" and it is. And talk about an ending that makes you want to read the next b ...…

Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan's Tale, joins Marrie Stone to share her thoughts regarding writing about the Holocaust and the responsibilities of sensitively portraying that period of history. She talks about juxtaposing WWII against the backdrop of the circus arts, how being a lawyer serves her writing life, and more. In the second half, Eri ...…

Jonathan Lethem, author of More Alive and Less Lonely: On Books and Writers, joins Marrie to talk about the books and writers he loves, his pen-pal relationship with Thomas Berger, the value of misinterpreting an author's work, some fabulous advice for writers, how to read like a writer, and much much more. In the second half, Deb Olin Unferth ...…

Memoirist and New Yorker writer Ariel Levy joins Marrie Stone to talk about her memoir, The Rules Do Not Apply. She shares her story of losing her wife, her son, and her life in rapid succession, and deriving a narrative arc out of her life. She discusses how to dig deep into her life for answers, while protecting the loved ones who appear in h ...…

Novelists Elinor Lipman, author of On Turpentine Lane, and Marcia Clark, author of her new series, Blood Defense and Moral Defense, talk with Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about their novels. Download audio. (Broadcast date: March 29, 2017)By penonfire@earthlink.net (Barbara DeMarco-Barrett).

Jami Attenberg, author of All Grown Up, talks to guest host Nicole Nelson about writing dialogue that she knows won't be used in the novel just so that "the characters get to know each other," the importance of figuring out what you do well as a writer and doing it a lot, so that you start to do it automatically, and her message to aspiring wri ...…

Memoirist Melissa Febos, author of Abandon Me, joins co host Marrie Stone to talk about how this new book is both braver and more personal than her former memoir, Whip Smart. She discusses how to go deep, protecting the ones you love in writing, how to structure a memoir as a book of essays, and much more. In the second half, Caite Dolan Leach ...…

Kevin Canty, author of The Underworld, and literary agent Noah Lukeman, author of The First Five Pages, talk with host Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about their work and the business of publishing. Download audio. (Broadcast date: March 8, 2017)By penonfire@earthlink.net (Barbara DeMarco-Barrett).

George Saunders joins co-host Marrie Stone for the entire hour to talk about his novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. He shares his perspectives on empathy, compassion, the role of the artist in the current political climate, his views on death and dying, and much more. Download audio. (Broadcast date: February 15, 2017)…

Stephen Dunn, author of Whereas, and Judith Freeman, author of the memoir, The Latter Days, talk with host Barbara DeMarco-Barrett about their work. Download audio. (Broadcast date: Feb. 22, 2017)By penonfire@earthlink.net (Barbara DeMarco-Barrett).

Novelist, essayist and short story writer Roxane Gay joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest collection of stories, Difficult Women. In the second half, debut novelist Kayla Rae Whitaker joins to share her novel, The Animators. Both women talk about writing in the Trump era, the role of class, feminism, misogyny, and more. Download audio. ( ...…

Poet and essayist Sarah Manguso joins Marrie Stone to talk about her latest, 300 Arguments. She discusses the importance of writing and journaling through dangerous political times, the role of mothering in her writing life, how the state of the world impacts her work, and more. In the second half, Elan Mastai joins to share his debut novel, Al ...…

Chris Bohjalian, author of The Sleepwalker, and Manjula Martin, author of Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, spend the hour talking with Barbara about the art and business of writing. Download audio. (Broadcast date: Feb. 1, 2017)By penonfire@earthlink.net (Barbara DeMarco-Barrett).

Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer, is Barbara's guest for the entire hour. He talks about his new book of short stories, The Refugees, and his nonfiction book--the bookend to The Sympathizer--Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War. Download audio. (Broadcast date: January 18, 2017)…