This week I sit down with former CIA officer, Traci Hunter Abramson to talk about writing political and spy thrillers. We cover what spies are (and what they are not), what to include in your novels and what to leave out, advice she would give to aspiring authors, and the story behind her latest novel, VICTIM #8. Check it out!

• • My guest this week is an author, editor, and publishing professional who has written more than 50 books and coached hundreds of authors on how to put together book proposals. Terry Whalin and I talk about the importance of details, gripping openings, showing instead of telling, looking at the bigger picture, giving readers a reason to flip the page, and The 11th Myth. Check it out!

This week, Chris Riley, the author of the classic screenwriting book The Hollywood Standard, joins me on The Story Blender. In a wide-ranging conversation, we discuss how to keep viewers and readers from leaving the dream, when to focus on our shared humanity in the stories we tell, why stories are a gift that we give to our audiences, what a story actually is, and what is more important, story or structure. Check it out and have a pen ready to take notes!

Don’t miss this week’s conversation with novelist Yannick Murphy. We examine whether or not there is such a thing as talent, how a story is like a mirror, and how to write in a way that makes the reader feel like you are their best friend. Learn to observe what has gone unnoticed, bring a sense of presence to the page, and invite in the turbulence. Give it a listen!

This week on The Story Blender, I chat with horror writer, Daniel Church. We talk about folk horror, the importance of atmosphere in scary stories, what frightened him as a child (you might be surprised when you hear what it was!). You'll also catch some of his recommendations for movies and other authors who write stories that will bring a chill to your bones. He has a new book out just in time for Halloween called THE SOUND OF THE DARK. Give it a listen. With the lights on…

This week, Jennifer Fawcett joins me to talk about how playwriting and novel writing intersect and inform each other. We explore what a scene is and why scenes in plays are longer than they often are in novels. We also talk about the importance of surprise, the difference between motivation and intention and her latest thriller Keep This For Me. Give it a listen!

This week I talk with acclaimed author Jerome Charyn, who has been a professional writer for 70 years. We explore the music of sentences, the lyrical landscape of New York City, looking for magic in the stories we write and tell, the importance of the first and last sentence, and how every sentence in Hamlet destroys you. Check it out!

• • This week, crime writer Victoria Dowd joins me to discuss the art of the red herring, how to plant clues in plain sight in a way that no one will notice, locked room mysteries, and coming up with (almost!) impossible crimes. We also discuss her latest historical mystery, Death in the Aviary. Check it out!