DIY MFA Radio (Gabriela Pereira)

Hey there Word Nerds! Welcome back to DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking to Kirsten Oliphant, a writer with an MFA in fiction from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has been blogging for eight years and has a lifestyle blog focusing on food and parenting. This year she launched the Create If Writing blog and podcast, which provide inspiration and authentic platform building tools for writers and bloggers. She also shares interviews with bloggers, writers, social media experts, and publishing insiders. 

Kirsten is the mastermind behind the Free Email Course, where she helps demystify email lists for writers and bloggers, along with her signature course (Own Your List) that helps people grow, monetize, and manage their lists.

When she’s not busy taking the email list world by story, Kirsten lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and four kids.

In this episode Kirsten and I discuss:

• Why an email list is your most important communication option in a world full of options.
• The personal touch of email versus other social media.
• 15 Step Intensive List Growth Checklist
• Finding the email tech that’s right for you.
• Do's and Don't's to help keep your subscribers happy and engaged once you have an email list.

Plus, Kirsten’s #1 tip for writers.

Resources:

If you want to know more about Kirsten, you can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter or visit her website and join her email list!

Email client options for you to consider when building your list (in alphabetical order):

• Aweber
• Convert Kit
• Mad Mimi
• Mailchimp

Other awesome resources include The Persistence of Email Marketing for Book Publishers and the Creative Profitability Course.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/078

Hello hello Word Nerds and welcome to Episode 71 of DIY MFA radio.

Today I’m talking with Lorin Stein, editor of The Paris Review  and we'll be talking about literature and reading, and what makes stories great. We'll also be discussing the book he recently edited called The Unprofessionals: New American Writing from The Paris Review.

Lorin joined The Paris Review as its third editor in 2010. During his tenure, the Review has received two National Magazine Awards, as well as Webby honors, Pushcart Prizes, and O’Henry Awards. Stein’s criticism and translations have appeared in The New York Review of Books, the London Review of Books, n+1, and Harper’s. He is also an editor-at-large at FSG (an imprint of MacMillan) and he lives in New York City.

In this episode Lorin and I discuss:

• Literary fiction
• What he looks for when discovering new voices in literature.
• The importance of reading as a writer.
• What makes interesting writing.
• The benefits that writers can gain from writing and reading short form literature.

Plus, Lorin’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/071

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today’s episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 9 – Take Baby Steps.

Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You’ll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You’ll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you’ll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.

In this episode I discuss:

• The importance of dreaming big but executing through small “baby steps.”

• How goal setting is a lot like climbing a mountain.

• The “plant the flag” moment, what it is and why it matters.

• Why it’s essential to reverse-engineer the action steps toward your goals.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/484

I’m so excited to interview Sara Paretsky, author of 20 books, including the renowned V.I. Warshawski novels. In 1982 she introduced the world to  private eye V.I. Warshawski in her book Indemnity Only. V.I. – tough, credible, street-smart, and feminine – challenged the stereotypes of women in fiction as victims or vamps and Paretsky made it possible for a new generation of crime writers to thrive.

In, Brush Back,  the latest book in this series, V.I. must uncover the truth about a crime that hits very close to home, and forces her to take a good look into her family’s past. As V.I. digs for clues and tries to piece the story together, she must put her life—and career—on the line until she can finally discover what happened on a fateful night many those years ago. It could be the biggest case of her career—if V.I. manages to survive.

Sara Paretsky was named 2011 Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and is also the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award given by the British Crime Writers’ Association. Paretsky is currently president of the Mystery Writers of America.  She lives in Chicago.

Listen in as Sara and I discuss:

• Creating a unique and strong protagonist.
• The mystery writing scene and how it’s changed now.
• Setting as character in writing.
• Personal limits to detail in topics such as sex and violence in writing.
• Plus, Sara's #1 tip for writers!

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/054

Today’s episode is our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Christa and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we’ll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building, and more.

In this episode, Christa and I discuss:

• Key aspects and methods to focus on during the revision process.

• The importance of feedback from others during revision.

• A helpful type of mindset to keep throughout your progress.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/473

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am delighted to have author and editor Joe Fassler on the show!

Joe earned his MFA from the University of Iowa Writing Program and is a senior editor at The New Food Economy. His writing has appeared in many journals including The Boston Review, Electric Literature, and Creative Nonfiction, but he’s probably most well-known for the author interviews he conducts as part of The Atlantic’s “By Heart” series.

Joe’s latest work, Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process, is a compilation of numerous authors’ answers to one simple but profound question: What inspires you?

Light the Dark is available now. I’ve been reading it and all I can say is if you’re a writer, you must put this book on your To-Be-Read list for 2018!

Listen in as we chat about this amazing book, and some of the best ways to keep inspired and motivated to write.

In this episode Joe and I discuss:

• Learning to the draw the line, how to find your catch-all creative time.
• Why you need to celebrate your zero moment.
• Balancing what publicists want and what writers want in an interview.
• Techniques to help find that quiet place of creativity in your mind.
• The importance of the written word and the transformative power of books.

Plus, Joe’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/183

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have Michael Zadoorian on the show!

Michael is an author and recipient of numerous awards such as the Michigan Notable Book award, and the Kresge Artist Fellowship. His writing has appeared in several prestigious journals including The Literary Review and American Short Fiction, as well as in multiple anthologies including Detroit Noir.

He is the author of The Leisure Seeker—which was recently made into a film starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland—as well as the novel Second Hand and the story collection The Lost Tiki Palaces of Detroit.

His latest novel, Beautiful Music, is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of his hometown of Detroit in the 1970’s and is available now.

Listen in as we talk about this amazing book, and how to enrich your story with sensory writing.

In this episode Michael and I discuss:

• How to determine the genre label for your story by finding your audience.
• Conveying sound through your characters’ emotions.
• Engaging all five senses of your reader.
• The role of parents in a literary coming of age story.
• Creating a strong sense of place in your writing.

Plus, Michael’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/204

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

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Brenda Jackson.

Brenda Jackson is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over 100 novels and novellas, including two that have been turned into films—One Special Moment and Truly Everlasting.

Brenda is a recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award and an NAACP Image Award nominee for Outstanding Literary Fiction for her book, A Silken Thread. She is an advocate for diversity in romance and was the first African American author to make both the USA TODAY and New York Times bestseller lists in series/category romance genre.

Today we’ll be talking about her Catalina Cove series, and its third book Finding Home Again is out now.

In this episode Brenda and I discuss:

• Structuring a series around a setting
• Starting with plot instead of character
• Building a world that comes alive for readers
• Keeping track of an evolving fictional world
• How to make a tried and true romance plot feel fresh

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/277

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sam Hooker and Seven Jane. 

Sam Hooker writes darkly humorous fantasy novels about things like tyrannical despots and the masked scoundrels who tickle them without mercy. He knows all the best swear words, though he refuses to repeat them because he doesn't want to attract goblins. 

Seven Jane is an author of dark fantasy and speculative fiction. Seven is a member of The Author's Guild and Women's Fiction Writing Association. She also writes a column for The Women's Fiction Association and is a contributor to The Nerd Daily.​

They are both authors of stories included in the anthology A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, six stories of not-so-merry yuletide whimsy, from Blackspot Books.

In this episode Sam, Seven and I discuss:

• Writing a short story when you usually write novels
• Adjusting your writing process to fit a new category
• Creating suspense in an insular, character-driven story
• Using winter as the inspiration for a short story

Plus, their #1 tips for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/282

Hey there, Word Nerds! I’m so excited to share this interview with you today. I’ll be talking to Linda Fairstein about the world she built in her famed "Alex Cooper" series. Linda is a former Manhattan prosecutor and New York Times bestselling author. Her books are international bestsellers and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Her latest (the 17th in the series) is Devil's Bridge, which is out now.

Before turning to writing, Linda was chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the district attorney’s office in Manhattan for more than two decades, so basically she's like an SVU prosecutor, but for real. Not only that, she is America’s foremost legal expert on sexual assault and domestic violence. Linda lives in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/060

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today’s episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 3 – Embrace the Power of Iteration

Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You’ll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You’ll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you’ll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.

In this episode I discuss:

• Two competing philosophies on failure from Yoda and Samuel Beckett.

• How these two highly-quotable figures are actually not all that different from each other.

• What it really means to make a commitment to the work and to your writing.

• Why it’s so important to embrace imperfection and accept potential failure.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/478

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rob Hart about his latest book The Warehouse. When I heard Rob’s editor talk about this book at the BookExpo Editors’ Buzz Panel, I knew I had to have Rob on the show.

Now, if you guys don’t know about Book Expo, it’s a big literary trade show that happens every May in New York City. They have these panels where they feature a selection of books that are getting a ton of buzz. There’s a panel all about books for adults, and another featuring YA and Middle Grade. Now, when I used to go to Book Expo, I’d get very overwhelmed with all the books! But these days, after many Book Expos, I’m a little more measured, and it takes a bit more for a book to grab my attention. The Warehouse was one of the books that really made me sit up and take notice. 

But first, a little bit about our guest.

Rob Hart is the author of the Ash McKenna series, as well as the short story collection Take-Out, and the novella Scott Free, which he co-wrote with James Patterson. His latest book, The Warehouse, has sold in more than 20 countries and has been optioned for film by Ron Howard. A fellow New Yorker, Rob lives in Staten Island, NY, with his wife and daughter.

In this episode Rob and I discuss:

• The inspiration behind The Warehouse
• How adding a third point of view strengthened the story
• Crafting an immersive world without info-dumping
• Under-writing instead of over-writing a draft
• Using a map to plan a world
• Moving from outlining and research to writing

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: diymfa.com/274

Today, I have the esteemed pleasure of interviewing one of my absolute favorite people, Lori Walker. Lori wears a lot of hats at DIY MFA. Her official title is Operations Maven. However, she is also Podcast Producer, Launch Manager, Web Editor, a Book Coach, and our Resident Reader at DIY MFA. Lori is the writer behind the Book Nook column. 

In her spare time, she loves yoga, cooking, traveling, smooth bourbons, strong cabernets, dirty martinis, watching baseball, and of course, reading. She is currently working on an essay collection and a novel. She lives outside of Tulsa with her husband and cat, Joan Didion.

In the 400th Episode Extravaganza, Lori and I:

• Give listeners a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of DIY MFA.
• Share what makes a successful podcast pitch and how to be a good guest.
• Discuss why I started the podcast in the first place and how it evolved over time.
• Talk about some of the fun things we have in the works for word nerds.

Plus, we share a huge announcement.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/400

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Cadwell Turnbull.

His novel, The Lesson is a work of speculative fiction is about what happens when a spaceship arrives at the US Virgin Islands with a race of super-advanced aliens on a research mission on board. This story grapples with the tensions between these newcomers and the local Virgin Islanders and explores various themes, including: the nature of belief, the impact of colonialism, and how far are we willing to go for progress?

This book breaks new ground as one of the first science fiction novels to be set on Saint Thomas, in the Virgin Islands. It’s a combination of literary social fiction and speculative fiction, and it also paints a vivid picture of Charlotte Amalie, which is Cadwell’s hometown.

Cadwell has an MFA in fiction from North Carolina State University, as well as Master’s degree in Linguistics. He was the winner of the 2014 NCSU Prize for Short Fiction and attended Clarion West 2016.

His short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, and Asimov’s Science Fiction and several of his stories have received honors or been nominated for Best-Of lists. I have been reading his debut novel, The Lesson, and it is absolutely un-put-downable. 

In this episode Cadwell and I discuss:

• How a dream inspired The Lesson
• Keeping a story character-driven while also adding speculative elements
• The power of using--and sometimes withholding--multiple points of view 
• Using speculative fiction to grapple with contemporary social issues
• Blending past, present and a speculative future
• Writing speculative fiction in an MFA program

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: diymfa.com/269

Hey there word nerds!

This episode is brought to you buy our amazing word nerd fans and supporters on Patreon. If you’d like to help support this show, hop over to patreon.com/DIYMFA

Today I’m thrilled to have Herb Freed on the show. Herb started his adult life as an ordained rabbi and became the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Lake Mahopac, New York, at the same time producing and directing three shows at the Maidman Playhouse in New York City. Eventually, he resigned his pulpit to become a movie director. Today we’ll be speaking about his book Bashert, which is out now.

In this episode Herb and I discuss:

• When you’re writing based on true events, which elements do you change for the book? Which things do you keep the same? What are some of the considerations that drive these choices?
• Why tell a story as a novel instead of a memoir, if it’s based on true events? What do you need to consider when you are deciding between telling the absolute truth versus the conceptual Truth?
• Write about things you are passionate about. Write the story you can’t not tell.
• How screenwriting can shape a novel writer’s process. What skills transfer over? What aspects don’t translate?

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

Herb Freed started his adult life as an ordained rabbi and became the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Lake Mahopac, New York while producing and directing three shows at the Maidman Playhouse in New York City. Eventually, he resigned his pulpit to become a movie director. He has directed and produced 15 feature films most of which have had psychological, spiritual and/or social themes in spite of their commercial categories. He is best known for Graduation Day, a horror film, and Tomboy, a teenage romp, as well as the psychological drama Haunts, and CHILD2MAN, a story of survival during the Watts riots. You can find out more about Herb Freed at herbfreed.com

Bashert

Would you recognize your soul’s complement in another? Beyond the bliss of actually finding your soul mate, there is a belief that the universe hinges on predetermined people finding their other half, their bashert, to maintain cosmic balance. In Bashert (Bellrock Press; February 14, 2017) author, screenwriter, director and former rabbi Herb Freed immerses us in the heady intoxication and thunderous losses of what it really means to be bashert.

Dan Sobol and Marion Gladstone meet by chance at a screenwriter’s event in Los Angeles. He’s a rabbi turned director known for his cinematic television commercials; she’s a writer and film editor who is recovering from a tabloid-headline screaming Hollywood divorce. From the moment Marion hears Dan’s voice, she knows—and so does he. It’s bashert.

But when did the course of true love ever run smooth? Dan and Marion are soon partners in business as well as life, traveling the world to create movies. He directs, she writes and edits, and life becomes an amazing adventure—until Cancun. There, among the ruins of the Mayan civilization, Marion has an eerie premonition that has the potential to change everything.

Drawing upon his own personal experience, Freed spins a tale unflinching in its examination of life, but weaving along the edge of magical realism. From the bright lights of Hollywood to Mexico, Israel, Paris and the dreamy exhilaration of Jamaica, Bashert is a love story about transcending life, loss and the boundaries we mistakenly place on our lives and our hearts.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/144

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 my dear friend Thien-Kim Lam.

Thien-Kim writes stories about Vietnamese characters who smash stereotypes and find their happy endings. She and I first connected at an entrepreneurship event and instantly bonded over our love of books and our penchant for challenging the status quo of our respective industries.

Thien-Kim is also the founder of Bawdy Bookworms, a subscription box that pairs sexy romances with erotic toys (featured on NPR, BBC America, and NBC). Plus, she also writes about multicultural parenting at I’m Not the Nanny and has been featured on NBC News Asian America, BBC World, and NPR’s All Things Considered. Plus, she has written for Momtastic, YourTango, Frolic, NBC News, and other outlets.

Happy Endings is her debut novel and we’ll be discussing it today. Quick heads up before we dive in: when friends like us get together and start chatting about a sexy rom-com featuring a protagonist who sells sex toys… things might go in a non-PG-rated direction. So if you’ve got kiddos hanging around, now might be a good time to put in some headphones. And if listening to two girlfriends talk about steamy romance and sex toys is not your jam… well, you have been warned.

Okay folks, without further ado, I am super-excited to introduce you to my friend Thien-Kim!

In this episode Thien-Kim and I discuss:

• Why she chose to begin her novel with tension between the main love interests.
• Giving her protagonist a unique career and how that strengthened the character.
• What she learned from having to relaunch her business after pivoting.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/358

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Laura Jamison.

Laura Jamison is an attorney from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband and their four children. When she is not practicing law or writing, she is driving her kids to one of their many activities in her minivan. Laura is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Michigan Law School. All the Right Mistakes is her debut novel and what we will be talking about today.

In this episode Laura Jamison and I discuss:

• How the pressure to compete on social media inspired a character in her book All the Right Mistakes
• Why having a clear, mathematical structure to her multiple POV story was refreshing to her readers and keeps her on track as a writer.
• What she did to land an agent and her journey to being published through She Writes Press.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/329

Hey there Word Nerds!

I’m so glad you can join me for today’s interview with Jen Calonita.

Jen is a YA and Middle Grade author, and in this episode, she and I talk about writing what you know (and what you don’t know) and also how to make the shift from one writing niche to another. We dig into the various twists and turns of her writing career and discuss Charmed, the next installment of her Fairy Tale Reform School series and also her new contemporary middle grade series called VIP. The first book I’m With the Band, is out now.

Embed Episode Here

In this episode Jen and I discuss:

• Switching from magazines to fiction.
• Getting connected with other authors.
• Writing series for middle grade versus YA.
• Keeping the story fresh.

Plus, Jen Calonita’s  #1 tip for writers.

About Jen Calonita

It's no secret how Jen knows the inside scoop on Hollywood. As a former entertainment editor at a teen magazine, she started her career chronicling backstage life at Justin Timberlake concerts and interviewing Zac Efron on film sets. This work inspired her first series, Secrets of My Hollywood Life which has been published in 9 countries.

Jen tackles worlds she finds familiar, from summer camp stories like Sleepaway Girls and Summer State of Mind (she was a camp counselor as a teen), to reality TV (which she also covered in magazines) in Reality Check. But it wasn't until she wrote Belles (about two polar opposite girls who share one life-altering secret) that she entered a world different from her own. It was so much fun creating a new world that Jen jumped into the fairytale world and wrote middle grade novel, Flunked.

To find out more aboutJen Calonita follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, GoodReads, Pinterest, and Facebook, or visit her website: jencalonitaonline.com.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/087

Hey there word nerds!

Welcome to the 2018 Epic BookExpo Recap episode!

If you don’t already know what BookExpo is, it’s the big industry trade show that takes place in the United States every year, and today it’s going to be just me talking to you about this awesome event!

This year, the big thing was the idea of the Reimagined BookExpo, so I wanted to give you a rundown of what’s new, what’s still the same, and what I think all these things say about the book industry as a whole.

Listen in as I chat with you about what the Reimagined BookExpo looks like, and some new and exciting trends I saw in the publishing industry.

In this episode, I give you an inside look at:

• Then and now, how BookExpo has changed over the years.
• Knowing your audience, BookExpo vs. BookCon.
• New trends and themes in the publishing industry that jumped out at me.
• The broadening definition of diversity.

Plus a teaser about the types of books I was most excited to check out, and why.

For more info an show notes: DIYMFA.com/205

Hey there word nerds! 

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Janae Marks!

Janae is an award-winning children's book author living in Connecticut. She has an MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in Writing for Children and Young Adults from The New School, and is an active member of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Her debut is the middle grade novel,  From the Desk of Zoe Washington, which we’ll be discussing today.

Janae also happens to be one of my dearest writing besties. She’s known me since before DIY MFA was even a twinkle in my eye, like back when it was still just a “crazy idea” I was kicking around on my personal blog. She and I were also in the same thesis critique group so she has seen my writing in all its many forms: from the good, to the bad, to the… what the heck were you thinking, Gabriela?

One of my favorite things—one of the things that brings true joy to my heart—is when I get to introduce my favorite people to the word nerd community. I’ve known Janae for a long time; I know how much of her heart and soul she’s poured into this book and I am so excited for the world to discover Zoe Washington and this sweet, heart-felt middle grade novel.

Without further ado, welcome Janae! It’s so great to have you here.

In this episode Janae and I discuss:

• How Serial and Making a Murderer inspired From the Desk of Zoe Washington
• Aging a character down from YA to middle grade
• Weaving serious, real-world issues into a middle grade story
• Balancing parenting and writing
• Different types of writing friends and communities
• Finding a community-focused writing conference

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/288

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have doctor and writer Robin Cook on the show!

Robin started his medical career as a general surgical resident and finished with an ophthalmology residency at Harvard. His literary career, however, began as he wrote his debut novel, The Year of the Intern, underwater inside a nuclear submarine.

He followed this up with his novel Coma, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and created the medical thriller genre.

Robin is the author of thirty-four previous international bestselling novels, and is now back with his latest work Charlatans.

Listen in as we dive into Robin’s latest medical thriller, the genre itself, and get an inside look at how to turn firmly held beliefs of the medical profession on their heads.

In this episode Robin and I discuss:

• What makes a medical thriller.
• How to balance keeping an issue present without creating an issue-driven book.
• Why fiction is better at influencing public policy than nonfiction.
• Using little details to drag readers into the story from page one.
• Prologues, when you should use them and the reasons why.

Plus, Robin’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/175

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am delighted to have Dan Grant on the show!

Dan is an author with a background in electrical engineering who has always loved the world of stories and intriguing tales, especially suspense and thrillers that weave science, medicine, or technology into the fabric of the drama.

As a licensed professional engineer he’s had the unique opportunity to work with a variety of medical and technological projects and to get behind the scenes at military facilities. And as you read his debut thriller, The Singularity Witness, you can definitely see how his engineering background has filtered into the narrative to form a broader storytelling tapestry.

Dan is currently hard work on his next thriller entitled Thirteen Across, as well as the next book in his Singularity series.

Now listen in as Dan and I chat about his awesome debut The Singularity Witness, and how to balance hard science with the fast pace of thrillers.

In this episode Dan and I discuss:

• How to use research for a science based thriller without info dumping.
• Showing your story’s world through the perspective of an outsider.
• How to add depth to your characters without slowing down the plot.
• Worldbuilding in a unique setting grounded in today’s reality.
• Choosing the path of self publishing.

Plus, Dan’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/239

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Syed M. Masood.

Syed M. Masood grew up in Karachi, Pakistan, and now lives with his wife and children in Sacramento, California, where he is a practicing attorney. He wrote a few couplets in Urdu when he was a teenager, and his family still tells everyone he is an Urdu poet. He is not. More Than Just a Pretty Face is his young adult debut novel.

In this episode Syed and I discuss:

• Why you need to listen to what your characters want as you write
• How honoring universal experiences allows readers to understand your reality
• Ways to keep the romance trope interesting, but also staying within the form

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/317

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Meg LaTorre.

Meg is a sci-fi/fantasy author, YouTube darling, and founder of iWriterly. She is also the creator of the free query critique platform, Query Hack, co-host of the Publishable show, and blogger for websites: Writer’s Digest, Savvy Authors, Writers Helping Writers, and so forth. Formerly, she worked at a literary agency, and she has a background in magazine publishing, medical and technical writing, as well as journalism. For more information about Meg, subscribe to her YouTube channel or follow her on social media. You’ll find all her links on the show notes page.

Today we’ll be talking about her latest book, The Cyborg Tinkerer.

In this episode Meg and I discuss:

• How having a rebellious nature allowed her to write the kind of Steampunk novel she wanted to read.
• What aesthetic elements of the novel help portray issues of “otherness” and discrimination which are integral parts of the narrative.
• Why she chose the indie publishing route and how other authors can learn from her experience.

Plus, their #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/331

Today, Lori is interviewing Thien-Kim Lam. They’ll be talking about writing romance with depth and spice.

Thien-Kim Lam writes stories about Vietnamese characters who smash stereotypes and find their happy endings. A recovering Type-Asian, she guzzles cà phê sữa đá, makes art, and bakes her feelings to stay sane. Her books Happy Endings and Full Exposure are steamy romances that will make you hungry.Thien-Kim is also the founder of Bawdy Bookworms, a subscription box that pairs sexy romances with erotic toys. She’s been featured on Jezebel, NPR, BBC America, and Glamour. 

You can find her on her personal website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and here is the link to her book coaching site. She can also be found on Bawdy Bookworms’s Instagram.

In this episode Thien-Kim Lam and Lori discuss:

• Balancing a love story with conflict.

• Sex education and sexuality as empowerment.

• Creating banter that isn’t forced.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/450

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so thrilled that you're joining me for this episode.

Today I’ll be talking to Julie Zickefoose, an artist and author of three books, the latest being Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest. In today’s interview, we’ll be talking about how to turn your passion for a subject into a book (or something more), and how to keep up the motivation to pursue that passion, even when you’re not sure where it might lead.

In this episode Julie and I discuss:

• Taking a wild idea from concept to concrete
• Developing your skill set to enhance your work
• Bringing your unique perspective to the subject
• Relying on your passion to help you push through the project’s obstacles
• Being open to the possibilities that come from the problems you face

Plus, Julie’s #1 tip for writers.

If you love nature writing, you can order a copy of Julie's latest book Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest, with her gorgeous watercolor artwork and written accounts following the first days of these hatchlings. It's really quite a spectacular project. And if you order via this Amazon affiliate link, DIY MFA gets a small commission at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA and our featured authors!

Writer/artist Julie Zickefoose, author of Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest (2016), The Bluebird Effect (2012), and Letters from Eden (2006), is a Contributing Editor to Bird Watcher’s Digest and her blog entertains more than 32,000 visitors each month. Julie loves to introduce people to birdwatching, and now leads natural history excursions abroad. She travels to speak for nature festivals, clubs and horticultural societies, and lives with her family on an 80-acre sanctuary in Appalachian Ohio. Indigo Hill has hosted 194 bird species and 78 species of butterflies as of 2016.

To learn more about Julie, her writing and her artwork, check out her website. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/105

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Finola Austin.

Finola Austin, also known as the Secret Victorianist on her award-winning blog, is an England-born, Northern Ireland-raised, Brooklyn-based historical novelist and lover of the 19th century. Her first novel, Bronte's Mistress, was published in 2020. When she’s not writing novels or her blog, she works in digital advertising.

In this episode Finola and I discuss:

• How household and gender roles have and have not changed since the 19th century.
• The difference between being “accomplished” and being “clever” and why it’s problematic.
• Why she created a timeline to help fill in gaps in knowledge as she drafted her novel.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/374

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Sally Parry, the Executive Director of the Sinclair Lewis Society. She earned her PhD in American Literature (as well as 19th Century British Fiction and Medieval Literature) from Fordham University in NYC and wrote her dissertation on Sinclair Lewis (Sinclair Lewis: The Darkening Vision of His Later Novels). She is currently the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Affairs at Illinois State University.

In this interview, we’re going to talk about Sinclair Lewis’ novel It Can’t Happen Here. Originally published in 1935 as a response to the rise of Hitler and Mussolini in Europe, It Can’t Happen Here has renewed relevance in the wake of Donald Trump’s campaign and election.

In fact, sales numbers for this title have gone through the roof, with mass market sales up 2,611% over last year, and eBook sales have jumped 1,528%. Not only that, this book has gotten a lot of buzz in the media in the past year, and this momentum doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

I’m excited to speak with Dr. Sally Parry about this book and the role that literature plays in politics and activism.

In this episode Sally and I discuss:

• Literature and activism, and how to
• Author intentions versus audience perceptions
• The social responsibilities of writers

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Sinclair Lewis

About the Sinclair Lewis Society:
The Sinclair Lewis Society was formed to encourage study of, critical attention to, and interest in the work, career, and legacy of Sinclair Lewis. The Society works to facilitate a broader discussion of his writing among scholars, critics, teachers, students, book collectors, and readers everywhere.

Members of the Sinclair Lewis Society receive the bi-annual Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter. We encourage scholarship concerning Sinclair Lewis, and we have provided a bibliography of primary and secondary sources concerning Lewis on our scholarly works page, as well as transcripts from an exclusive interview with Richard Lingeman, author of Sinclair Lewis: Rebel from Main Street. We also meet every few years in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, Lewis' hometown, for conferences and usually in connection with the annual Sinclair Lewis Days.

Sinclair Lewis Bio:
Harry Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951) was born in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. His childhood and early youth were spent in the Midwest, and later he attended Yale University, where he was editor of the literary magazine. After graduating in 1907, he worked as a reporter and in editorial positions at various newspapers, magazines, and publishing houses from the East Coast to California. He was able to give this work up after a few of his stories had appeared in magazines and his first novel, Our Mr. Wrenn (1914), had been published. Main Street (1920) was his first really successful novel, and his reputation was secured by the publication of Babbitt (1922). Lewis was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Arrowsmith (1925) but refused to accept the honor, saying the prize was meant to go to a novel that celebrated the wholesomeness of American life, something his books did not do. He did accept, however, when in 1930 he became the first American writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. During the last part of his life, he spent a great deal of time in Europe and continued to write both novels and plays. In 1950, after completing his last novel, World So Wide (1951), he intended to take an extended tour but became ill and was forced to settle in Rome, where he spent some months working on his poems before dying.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/134

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Elisabeth Potts on the show!

From her time as a student protesting the Vietnam war to her five year fight to save a pristine Central California coast habitat from an over-zealous developer, Elisabeth’s passion for social justice has inspired her actions and her writing.

In fact it was her experiences at U.C. Berkeley in the late 1960's that formed the background for her book Berkeley Girl, which she self published in 2017. During the 60’s, she joined thousands of other students to brave tear-gassing and police riots, trying to end the U.S. involvement in a long and senseless war.

Listen in as Elisabeth and I chat about her novel, and the steps necessary to self publish and get your book out there.

In this episode Elisabeth and I discuss:

• The value and importance of having a writing group you can depend on.
• Finding the right book cover design and the right cover designer.
• Steps to format your book for publication.
• Crafting a marketing strategy that works for you.
• How to toot your own horn and get your book into the world.

Plus, Elisabeth’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/219

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so happy you’re here! Today I’m talking to Rachel Hulin, photographer and writer. Her photographs have been shown at Jen Bekman Gallery, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Wallspace Gallery, The New York Photo Festival, and ClampArt Gallery, by which she is represented.

She’s also worked as a photo editor in New York for many years at places like Rolling Stone, Radar Magazine, and Nerve.com. Her personal essays and art writing have appeared in The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, PDN, and The Photography Post, which she co-founded.  She has lectured about her own work, professional practices, and about the role of social media in photography at ICP, SVA, Parsons, Brown University, RISD, and MIAD.

Rachel's Flying Henry photograph series is also a children’s book of the same name, released by PowerHouse Books in 2013. She has a BA from Brown University and an MA from NYU, and her new project is a novel, Hey Harry Hey Matilda. You can follow the escapades the story of Harry and Matilda on instagram (@HeyHarryHeyMatilda).

In this episode Rachel and I discuss:

• The birth of a new idea.
• Refining an idea and the process of platform building.
• Crafting a narrative on social media.
• Marketing your book.

Plus, Rachel’s #1 tip for writers.

Resources:

If you want to know more about Rachel’s work you can visit her website.

And don’t forget, we’ve got some really exciting things brewing at DIY MFA as we gear up for the book release this summer. If you want to be “in the know” hop on over to DIYMFA.com/join and sign up for our email list. You’ll get a free starter kit, a subscription to our free “sort-of weekly newsletter,” plus you’ll be among the first to hear about any awesome new things we’ve got in the works.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/080

Hey there word nerds!

Today’s interview features Brian Meehl, author of four novels that have garnered several awards and starred book reviews: Out of Patience, Suck It Up, Suck It Up and Die, and You Don’t Know About Me. His latest genre-bending novel, Blowback ‘07, transports readers back to 19077, a time when legendary coach Pop Warner, future Olympian Jim Thorpe, and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School’s team the “Redmen” revolutionized America’s most popular sport—football.

In a former incarnation, Brian was a puppeteer on “Sesame Street” and in Jim Henson films, including The Dark Crystal and he also wrote for television shows like “The Magic School Bus” and “Between the Lions,” for which he won three Emmys. He lives in Connecticut and is currently working on Blowback ’63 and Blowback ’94, the second and third installments of the Blowback trilogy.

In this episode Brian and I discuss:

• Using history to inspire and inform your writing, and the wealth of ideas that come from true events that have come from the past.
• The importance of research in capturing details that help your story’s world feels real.
• Using your research, your area of interest, and the specific idiosyncrasies of your particular topic to fuel your blog and platform building.
• Balancing close points of view with an omniscient narrator, the strengths and the challenges.
• Keeping your own growth and process in mind when you write. You’re not going to publish everything that you write.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

Brian Meehl has published four novels with Random House: Out of Patience, Suck It Up, Suck It Up and Die, and You Don’t Know About Me. His books have garnered a Junior Library Guild Selection, a Blue Ribbon from the Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books and starred reviews in Publishers Weekly. In a former incarnation, Brian was a puppeteer on “Sesame Street” and in Jim Henson films, including “The Dark Crystal.” His transition from puppets to pen included writing for television shows such as “The Magic School Bus” and “Between the Lions,” for which he won three Emmys. He lives in Connecticut and is writing Blowback ’63 and Blowback ’94. For more information about Brian Meehl and his books, please visit www.brianmeehl.com and www.blowbacktrilogy.com.

Blowback ‘07

It has become infamous for stripping children of their language and culture, but most people forget that the Carlisle Indian Industrial School also gave birth to America’s most popular sport as we now know it—football.

In Brian Meehl’s genre-bending novel Blowback ’07; readers are transported back to 1907 where legendary coach Pop Warner, future Olympian Jim Thorpe, and the Carlisle “Redmen” change the game. Their plays and formations like the modern “spread” and “shotgun,” have since become mainstays in high school, college, and professional football.

Clashing twins have one thing in common: an ancient musical instrument left to them by their mother.  When Iris plays the strangely curved woodwind, the trouble begins: the school’s star quarterback, disappears.

Transported to 1907 and the Carlisle Indian School, Matt, one of the protagonists, is forced to play football for Coach Pop Warner as the Carlisle “Redmen” revolutionize Ivy League football. His struggle to “play his way home” is complicated when he falls in love with an Indian girl.

Meanwhile, there are a cache of secrets that might help bring back someone very dear trapped in the past.  

Blowback ’07 launches a century-spanning trilogy to be continued in Blowback ’63 and Blowback ’94.  Books two and three propel the characters to another illuminating past, and transform them in ways they never imagined.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/135

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today’s episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 8 – Track the Money

Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You’ll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You’ll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you’ll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.

In this episode I discuss:

• Why it’s so important for writers to talk about and track money.

• The two “magic numbers” of publishing, what they are and why they matter.

• Five essential questions to think strategically about IP. 

• The trifecta of success, and how to consider ROI (return on investment).

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/483

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Catherine Baab-Muguira.

Catherine is a writer and journalist who has contributed to many media outlets, including Slate, Quartz, CNBC and NBC News. She is a frequent podcast and radio guest, with appearances on NPR and Lifehacker’s Upgrade. Catherine currently lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and baby son. Today we’ll be discussing her first book, Poe for Your Problems: Uncommon Advice from History’s Least Likely Self-Help Guru, which came out this past September.

In this episode Catherine Baab-Muguira and I discuss:

• How Edgar Allan Poe unexpectedly inspired her to write a book about mental health.
• Why she keeps her day job and how it helps her avoid literary snobbery.
• The value of learning to write good copy and the art of marketing your book.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/383

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have Courtney Maum on the show!

Courtney is the author of I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, and pieces of short fiction an essays that have appeared in places such as New York Times. Her latest novel, Touch, is the satirical story of Sloane Jacobson a trend forecaster who sees a move against electronics and toward in-person interaction ahead.

Listen in as we discuss the strange yet believable world of Touch, an dhow limiting our electronic usage can be beneficial to our creativity.

In this episode Courtney and I discuss:

• Why a huge emphasis on electronics is damaging to your writer's intuition and creativity.
• How to craft a "blind spot" for a character who's job it is to know everything, thus giving readers a reason to read on.
• How to best research and craft a story of speculative fiction.
• Why it is important to find friends outside the writing community.
• How learning to write copy can help you in other writing endeavors.

Plus Courtney's #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/156

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Carolyn Crimi and Corinna Luyken, the author and illustrator behind the buzz-worthy middle grade novel Weird Little Robots.

Carolyn Crimi is the author of several books for children, including Where’s My Mummy?, Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, Henry and the Crazed Chicken Pirates, and There Might Be Lobsters. Weird Little Robots is her first novel and she lives in Illinois.

Corinna Luyken is the author-illustrator of the NY Times Bestseller, My Heart; as well as The Book of Mistakes, which received four starred reviews and has been praised by Entertainment Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, and more.  

She is the illustrator for Weird Little Robots, written by Carolyn Crimi and Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse, written by Marcy Campbell. She lives in Olympia, WA with her husband, daughter, and two cats.

In this episode Carolyn, Corinna and I discuss:

• The inspiration behind Weird Little Robots
• Shifting from writing picture books to full length novels
• How to maintain creative momentum
• Building characters that feel alive and real
• How throwing away eighty pages of work inspired a stronger story and characters

Plus, their #1 tips for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/283

Hey there word nerds, I’m so glad you’re here!

We’re doing something different for this episode of DIY MFA Radio. This week I'm speaking with Steve Berry and Raymond Khoury about the art of collaboration. As you may remember, Steve Berry has appeared on this show before, and this time I'm thrilled to welcome him back with a twist. Today I’m talking both with him and with fellow thriller author Raymond Khoury, about their recent ebook collaboration: Shadow Tag.

In case you've been off the grid and don't know who these two awesome authors are... Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of several history-driven thrillers and his latest book The 14th Colony which will be out on April 5. Raymond Khoury is a former screenwriter and now the author of five consecutive New York Times and #1 international bestsellers. His latest book The End Game will be out on March 10. Their collaborative eBook is a phenomenal example of how two authors can work together to increase both their platforms and reach new readers.

In this episode Steve, Raymond, and I discuss:

• The myth of “original” material
• The logistics of collaboration
• Cross-pollinating reader bases as a marketing strategy
• How to find a collaboration partner

Plus, Steve’s and Raymond’s #1 tip for writers.

Resources:

Shadow Tag is out now, and you can pre-order Raymond Khoury's The End Game and Steve Berry's The 14th Colony. If you decide to purchase, we hope you'll consider doing so via these amazon affiliate links, where DIY MFA gets a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting this podcast!

Steve Berry:

History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners and their popular writers workshops. To date, over 2,500 students have attended those workshops. In 2012 and 2013 Steve’s devotion to historic preservation was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve it’s spokesperson for National Preservation Week. Among his other honors is the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award; the 2013 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award given by Poets & Writers; the 2013 Anne Frank Human Writes Award; and the Silver Bullet, bestowed in 2013 by International Thriller Writers for his philanthropic work. A 2010 NPR survey named The Templar Legacy one of the top 100 thrillers ever written.

Steve was born and raised in Georgia, graduating from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a founding member of International Thriller Writers—a group of more than 2,600 thriller writers from around the world—and served three years as its co-president.

To learn more about Steve, you can visit www.steveberry.org, or follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Youtube. His new book The 14th Colony will be out on April 5.

Raymond Khoury:

Raymond came to writing thrillers from a career in screenwriting, which includes the BAFTA award winning BBC series SPOOKS (aka MI:5 in the US). THE LAST TEMPLAR began its journey to print as an original screenplay written in 1996. At the time, a book agent suggested turning it into a novel, and a major NY publisher, the first to read it, offered Raymond a $500,000 advance for the as-yet-unwritten novel, with one condition: "Lose the religion. It's boring. Change the Templars' secret to gold, diamonds, something people get excited about." After much tortured consideration, Raymond turned the offer down, his first potential paycheck from writing. Almost exactly ten years later, his novel, based on that screenplay--religion included--became a global bestseller, hitting #1 in multiple countries and getting adapted into an NBC miniseries.

Raymond's thrillers are based on big themes that interest him such as international politics and conspiracies, fact vs faith, why we age and die, what do we really know about reincarnation, about mind control. He explores these themes in depth, with heavy emphasis on research, and often combines a historical angle to his stories. As such, some of his novels feature dual timelines: the bulk of the stories are set in the present day, interspersed with chapters that take place in the distant past. As Booklist puts it, "Khoury's thrillers engage the reader's mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury's books very much."

Raymond's 7th novel, THE END GAME, is released on March 10, 2016.

To learn more about Raymond visit his website, or follow him on Facebook.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/084

Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I'm doing things a little bit differently. Instead of an interview, I'm bringing one of my team members on the show as a co-host and we'll have a conversation about books, writing and the creative life.

This episode is part of a new series I'll be doing called "Behind DIY MFA," where I'll bring members of my team on the show as a co-host and we'll talk about what they do, both at DIY MFA and beyond. My goal with these behind-the-scenes episodes is for you to get to know the different people who help make DIY MFA awesome, plus hear their insights about books and all things literary.

As you probably already know, I see DIY MFA as a collaborative and collective venture. While I may be the instigator, DIY MFA would not be nearly as great if it weren't for all the amazing people who have partnered with me on this project. My hope is that this series will showcase the incredible talent we have on this team, and help you get to know these awesome people.

Our co-host today is the fabulous Sara Letourneau, author of the DIY MFA column Theme: A Story’s Soul.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/041

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have debut author Kimmery Martin on the show!

Kimmery is an emergency medical doctor and, like me, a life-long literary nerd. On top of being a doctor, an author, and a mom, she writes book reviews and volunteers with the library foundation in her home of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Her debut novel, The Queen of Hearts, has been named one of the most anticipated books of 2018 by Southern Living, Elite Daily, and Writer’s Digest. Set against the backdrop of hospital rounds, Kimmery’s medical knowledge and quirky sense of humor makes the story pop right off the page.

Listen in as we chat about this amazing debut novel, and get an inside look at Kimmery’s revision process.

In this episode Kimmery and I discuss:

• Translating your real life experience to a fictional world.
• Tips to bring your minor characters to life.
• Why you need to find the revision process that works for you.
• Finding the right voice for your novel.
• How to restructure your life to prioritize (not find) writing time.

Plus, Kimmery’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/201

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of hosting Maxine Rosaler on the show!

Maxine has had fiction and nonfiction published in some pretty prestigious markets including (but not limited to) The Southern Review, Glimmer Train, and The Baltimore Review. Her stories have also been cited in editions of Best American Short Stories and Best American Essays, and  she is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Fiction.

Her first published long form work, Queen for a Day, has been called both a short story collection and a novel in stories, and is available now.

Listen in as Maxine and I chat about finding the story at your core, and how to meld your unconscious and conscious minds to enhance your writing.

In this episode Maxine and I discuss:

• A novel in stories vs. a short story collection.
• Tricks to tap into your unconscious during the writing process.
• Why quality is more important than quantity in what you read.
• Discovering the right names for your characters.
• The responsibility of a writer to turn the world’s ugliness into art.

Plus, Maxine’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/209

Today, Lori is interviewing Jenna Miller. They’ll be talking about her publishing experience as a debut writer with her book Out of Character.

Jenna Miller writes Young Adult books about fat, queer, nerdy girls who deserve to be seen and have their voices heard. When she’s not obsessing over words, she can be found making charcuterie boards, befriending people online, cross stitching, or adventuring in the Minneapolis area. 

You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

In this episode Jenna Miller and Lori discuss:

• The complexities of writing a parent / teen dynamic that resonates with today’s YA audience. 
• How NanoWriMo positively influenced her authorial career.
• Transcending the traditional love triangle trope with nuance.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/448

Today, Lori is interviewing Carol Van Den Hende. They’ll be talking about finding purpose and her new book Orchid Blooming.

Carol Van Den Hende is the award-winning author of the Goodbye, Orchid series. She’s also a speaker, global marketer, digital strategist, Climate Reality Leader and Board Trustee. One secret to her good fortune? Her humorous husband and twins, who prove that love really does conquer all.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, YouTube, LinkTree, LinkedIn, Bookbub and Goodreads. You can also get a chapter for free by entering your email here.

In this episode Carol Van Den Hende and Lori discuss:

• Finding freedom in the different experience that each reader has with a story.
• Crafting your purpose and gaining energy from it.
• Creating characters that inspire fondness and familiarity in readers.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/430

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing someone I have the honor of considering both a colleague and friend, Chuck Wendig.

Chuck is the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers, Star Wars: Aftermath, the Miriam Black thrillers, and the Atlanta Burns books, as well as Zer0es and Invasive, alongside other works across comics, games, film, and more.

He was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and an alum of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, and he served as the co-writer of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus. He is also known for his popular blog, terribleminds, and he’s one of the few people I follow on Twitter and actually read what they post. He has also written books about writing such as Damn Fine Story, and today we’ll be talking about his latest book, a collection of inspirational nuggets titled: You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton!

In this episode Chuck and I discuss:

• The inspiration behind his latest book, which began as a series of tweets.
• How good writing subverts readers’ expectations in some way.
• Why you shouldn’t take any one piece of writing advice too seriously.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/352

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Robert Dugoni.

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Internationally Best-Selling Author of 17 novels in The Tracy Crosswhite police detective series set in Seattle, the David Sloane legal thriller series, and the Charles Jenkins espionage series.

He is also the author of several standalone novels including The Eighth Sister and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, both #1 Amazon kindle downloads, as well as The 7th Canon and The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post best book of the year. Several novels have been optioned for television series. Robert is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for fiction and many other awards. We’ll be talking about his book A Cold Trail which is out now.

In this episode Robert and I discuss:

• The power of dedicated, daily work
• Revisiting an old crime in a new book
• The particular appeal of a small town as a mystery setting
• The interplay between setting, theme and characters
• The myth of originality

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/291

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Kiley Reid!

An Arizona native, Kiley Reid is a recent graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she was the recipient of the Truman Capote Fellowship. Her short stories have been featured and are forthcoming in Ploughshares, December, New South, and Lumina. With the latter publication, her short story won first place in the 2017 Flash Prose Contest.

In Summer 2018, Kiley attended the Cuttyhunk Island Residency as the recipient of the Paul Cuffee Scholarship. Such a Fun Age is her debut novel, and the film and TV rights have already been acquired.

In this episode Kiley and I discuss:

• How the idea of awkwardness and ownership inspired Such a Fun Age
• Using the imbalance of three characters to create a charged scene
• Creating complex and multi-faceted protagonists
• An in-depth analysis of a pivotal scene
• Using external and internal wants to deepen characterization

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/287

Hey there Word Nerds!

I'm so glad you're here with me today because have a great interview to share with you.

Today Matthew Palmer and I talk about balancing writing and life and creating compelling characters. Matthew is a twenty-five-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has worked as a diplomat all over the world and is currently serving as the Director for Multilateral Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Asian and Pacific Affairs

For his most recent book, The Wolf of Sarajevo, he taps his own considerable experience in the turbulent region to tell a based-in-reality story that feels like it could almost be ripped from the headlines. In this episode, Matthew Palmer and I talk about what it’s like to pull inspiration from your own life’s work and craft it into gripping fiction.

In this episode Matthew and I discuss:

• The parallels between writing and diplomacy
• Understanding others’ points of view
• Developing distinct characters
• Finding the time to write

Plus, Matthew’s #1 tip for writers.

Link to Episode 98

(Right-click to download.)

Resources:

About The Wolf of Sarajevo: Twenty years after the end of the wars in the Balkans, the fighting has stopped in Bosnia…but the war is far from over. In his latest riveting international thriller, The Wolf of Sarajevo, career American diplomat and acclaimed novelist Matthew Palmer taps his own considerable experience in the turbulent region to tell a based-in-reality story that could be on the verge of grabbing international headlines. With close personal ties to the Balkans, Palmer portrays a scenario of violent conflict where peace is fragile and nationalism runs deep.

If you want to purchase The Wolf of Sarajevo, we hope you'll consider doing so via this Amazon affiliate link, where DIY MFA gets a small commission at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Matthew Palmer is a twenty-five-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is currently serving as the Director for Multilateral Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Asian and Pacific Affairs. He has worked as a diplomat all over the world and while on the secretary of state's Policy Planning staff, he helped design and implement the Kimberley Process for certifying African diamonds as "conflict free."

Matthew's career as a diplomat has certainly informed and inspired his fiction and he can certainly speak to the challenges of juggling writing with a very busy "day job." Writing is also practically woven into his DNA, since he comes from a family of excellent thriller authors, including his father Michael Palmer, and brother Daniel Palmer. To learn more about Matthew Palmer, you can visit the Penguin Random House website, or follow him on Facebook.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/098

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of talking with Dharma Kelleher on the show!

Dharma Kelleher is the author of several gritty crime fiction novels from a transgender/queer perspective. She has worked as a radio news director and is a current member of Sisters in Crime, the International Thriller Writers, and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Dharma traditionally published her first series, the Shea Stevens biker series, before deciding to go the indie route for her latest thriller.

Her new book, Chaser, is the first book in her Jinx Ballou Bounty Hunter series and is available now.

Listen in as we chat about this awesome book, and giving accurate voice to transgender communties in literature.

In this episode Dharma and I discuss:

• Crafting a multifaceted and realistic transgender character.
• The need for accuracy not sensitivity when portraying a marginalized community.
• Dharma’s two-pronged attack for avoiding the echo chamber of niche marketing.
• Marketing challenges in indie publishing vs. traditional publishing.
• How to build your following with an email newsletter.

Plus, Dharma’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/199

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Terena Elizabeth Bell. We’ll be talking about experimental fiction and her book of short stories, Tell Me What You See.

Terena Elizabeth Bell is a fiction writer. Her debut short story collection, Tell Me What You See (Whiskey Tit), publishes Holiday 2022. Short stories, poetry, and journalism work have appeared in The Atlantic, Playboy, MysteryTribune, Santa Monica Review, Saturday Evening Post, and more than 100 similar publications throughout the US, the UK, Ireland, and Spain. Short fiction has won grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts.

She is a 2021 NYFA City Artists Corps winner, a 2018 Arlene Eisenberg Award winner, a 2018 Azbee Award of Excellence winner, and Centre College’s 2014 Distinguished Young Alumna of the Year. Lead editor of the Writing Through the Classics series of books on fiction craft, she has taught creative writing independently and through the New York Society Library, Woodlawn Children’s Home, and Bowling Green State University.

From 2005 to 2015, Bell served as CEO of an international translation company and, in 2012, was appointed to President Barack Obama’s White House Business Council by US Representative John Yarmuth. She holds a BA in English from Centre College and an MA in French from the University of Louisville. Originally from Sinking Fork, Kentucky, she lives in Manhattan, where her landlord once was Philip Roth.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter, TikTok, buymeacoffee.com, and medium.com.

In this episode Terena Elizabeth Bell and I discuss:

• How she merged images and text and other ways she experimented in her stories.
• Her advice for managing your mental health when writing about difficult topics.
• What it means to write what you see and how she applied it to her writing.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/441

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rajani LaRocca.

Rajani was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes award-winning novels and picture books. 

She has always been an omnivorous reader, and now she is an omnivorous writer of fiction and nonfiction, novels, picture books, prose and poetry. 

She finds inspiration in her family, her childhood, the natural world, math, science, and just about everywhere she looks.

In this episode Rajani and I discuss:

• The importance of showing different approaches to problem solving and thinking.
• How she represented sibling dynamics in her picture book, Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers.
• Why she starts with a story and her unique approach to character building.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/372

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so delighted to have Nancy Pearl on the show!

Nancy is a book world legend. From her more than three decades of experience as a librarian and a bookseller, to her worldwide speaking engagements on the importance of reading she has become the go-to person for all things literary.

Now with the publication of her debut novel, George and Lizzie, Nancy throws her own words onto the fiction bookshelf.

Listen in as we discuss how being a good reader makes you a good writer, and the sensation of moving from the person who recommends books to being the author of a book that is recommended.

In this episode Nancy and I discuss:

• How to nudge yourself to read outside your comfort zone, and why doing so can help your writing.
• The difference between reading for pleasure and reading with purpose and how to shift gears between the two.
• How to do know when to quit on a book, and why it aids you when you do.
• Letting your characters tell their story and drive your novel to the correct conclusion.
• The difference between ideas in your head and what actually gets written on the page, and why this distinction is so important.

Plus Nancy's #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/163 

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Kelsey Ramsden on the show.

I have long admired Kelsey’s work as she moves the earth, literally and figuratively. She has been named Canada’s top female entrepreneur by PROFIT, not once but twice. And Forbes calls her a “master builder of ideas, businesses and sky’s the limit futures.”

She has received numerous awards for her businesses in civil construction and real estate where she builds highways, airports and communities.

Her latest project is the internationally bestselling book Success Hangover: Ignite your next act. Screw your status quo. Feel alive again. and it is available now.

So listen in as Kelsey and I chat about this amazing book and how to commit to your dreams even when the world pushes back.

In this episode Kelsey and I discuss:

• The many ways a success hangover can manifest in your life.
• How to know when you’re stuck in the “mediocre zone”.
• The difference between love and lust for your career.
• Turning a sense of discomfort into a sense of discovery.
• Why so many people fail at their goals, and the steps to take so you succeed.

Plus, Kelsey’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/257

In this interview I talk with writer Pamela S. Turner and illustrator Gareth Hinds about their book Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune. Pam has written historical fiction, biography and science for young readers and has won numerous awards. Gareth is the creator of the critically-acclaimed graphic novels based on literary classics like Beowulf, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. Together they make for a powerhouse team in bringing to life the amazing story of legendary samurai: Minamoto Yoshitsune.

In this episode Pamela, Gareth, and I discuss:

• The development of an author/illustrator partnership
• Inspiration born of personal interests
• Bringing the story to life on the page
• Knowing your audience and writing for children
• The importance of having a crack design team in creating quality books

Plus, Pamela’s and Gareth’s #1 tip for writers.

About the Author and Illustrator

Pamela S. Turner has written historical fiction, biography, and science on diverse topics. She the author of five books in the Scientists in the Field series, including The Frog Scientist (AAAS Science Writing Prize winner) and The Dolphins of Shark Bay (a Kirkus and School Library Journal Best Book of the Year). Her newest book is Samurai Rising, a biography of famed Japanese warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune. She lives in Oakland, California and is a black-belt practitioner of kendo (Japanese swordfighting). For more about Pamela, visit her website at www.pamelasturner.com

Gareth Hinds is the creator of critically-acclaimed graphic novels based on literary classics, including Beowulf (which Publisher’s Weekly called a “mixed-media gem”), King Lear (which Booklist named one of the top 10 graphic novels for teens), The Merchant of Venice (which Kirkus called “the standard that all others will strive to meet” for Shakespeare adaptation), The Odyssey (which garnered four starred reviews and a spot on ten "best of 2010" lists), Romeo and Juliet (which Kirkus called "spellbinding"), and Macbeth (which the New York Times called "stellar" and "a remarkably faithful rendering"). Gareth is a recipient of the Boston Public Library’s “Literary Lights for Children” award. His books can be found in bookstores and English classrooms across the country, and his illustrations have appeared in such diverse venues as the Society of Illustrators, the New York Historical Society, and over a dozen published video games. To learn more about Gareth, visit his website, or follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, or Pinterest.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/097

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie BwaBwa.

Stephanie is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive powers that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background.

As the author of The Seraphim Resistance Prequels and The Transcendents serial, Stephanie has built her own self-publishing empire. She is also an avid reader of fantasy and fiction, and columnist for DIY MFA.

In this episode Stephanie BwaBwa and I discuss:

• How comic books helped her develop the world in her YA fantasy universe.
• Her method for crafting a serial series and dealing with the unknowns.
• Why she loves world building and how she avoided sharing too many details at once.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/380

Today's episode was inspired by a question I got from a listener. Got a questions about writing or publishing that you want to hear answered on the show? Just email gabriela[at]DIYMFA[dot]com with "DIY MFA Radio" in the subject line. I can't promise to answer every single question in an episode, but I'll pick the most frequent ones and use them to inspire show topics. Plus, you might just get a shout-out from me on the show.

In this episode I talk about motivation and how to keep on writing even when you think you're failing and you feel like a fraud. I share the hard truth about imposter syndrome and give you some actionable tips to help you get motivated and get writing. For show notes and more info: DIYMFA.com/025

Hey there word nerds!

And welcome to our extra special Halloween episode, as today I have the pleasure of having the amazing mother-daughter writing team of P.C. and Kristin Cast on the show!

P.C. and Kristin are both New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, most known for their wildly successful House of Night series. This mega popular series spanning numerous novels and novellas, celebrated its ten year anniversary in 2017.

In honor of this milestone, P.C. and Kristin dove back into this awesome world and created the all new House of Night: Other World series. The first novel, Loved, was released in 2017, with the second, Lost, just releasing in July of this year.

So listen in as we chat about these awesome Other World novels, and get a window into the whole House of Night series.

In this episode P.C., Kristin and I discuss:

• Tag team brainstorming.
• Worldbuilding techniques to expand your story’s world over multiple books.
• P.C.’s alternative universe character building exercise.
• How to stand out in an oversaturated market.
• Why you need to get graphic with your characters’ feelings.

Plus, both P.C.’s and Kristin’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/224

Today, Lori is interviewing Jody Hadlock.

Jody studied journalism and was a television news reporter and anchor serving her community in South Carolina as well as Texas. In addition to writing, her other passion is advocating for people with special needs. For several years Jody served on the board of directors of North Texas Special Needs Assistance Partners (SNAP), a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities live the fullest lives possible in their communities.

She has just released her debut historical novel, The Lives of Diamond Bessie.

In this episode Jody Hadlock and Lori discuss:

• The research process and how to blend primary and secondary sources.
• Why finding the right point of view is so important to the writing process.
• What role context plays in writing about the past and how to integrate it into your plot.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/404

Today, Lori is interviewing Ginny Kubitz Moyer. They’ll be talking about how she started writing her debut novel, The Seeing Garden, with the setting.

Ginny Kubitz Moyer is a California native with a love of local history. A graduate of Pomona College and Stanford University, she’s an English instructor and avid weekend gardener. 

Her articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including Bella Grace and America Magazine, and she is the author of several books on women's spirituality. 

She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two sons, and one adorable rescue dog. The Seeing Garden is her first novel. 

You can find her on her website or follow her on Instagram.

In this episode Ginny Kubitz Moyer and Lori discuss:

• Why she prefers the term “discovery writer” instead of “pantser.”

• The importance of reading widely and re-reading books.

• How she picked up the tone of her novel, The Seeing Garden.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/461

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Susan Austin. We’ll be talking about how she imagines the childhood of a historical figure in her book Drawing Outside the Lines.

As an educator, Susan J. Austin knows the minds of young readers. Her first novel, The Bamboo Garden, is set in Berkeley, California, 1923, and describes an unlikely friendship between two girls that is tested by a fierce fire that threatens to destroy their town. Currently, she is writing about twelve-year-old Goldie, a whiz kid in the kitchen who hopes that her culinary magic can help her family’s delicatessen out of a pickle in 1928 Hollywood. Her characters are always brave, strong willed risk-takers. Writing historical fiction offers her a way to educate and excite her readers about the past. She and her husband live in Northern California, surrounded by family, their splendid but fussy rose bushes, and a lifetime collection of books. Learn more at www.susanjaustin.com.

In this episode Susan J. Austin and I discuss:

• Organizing your historical research for ease of use in your writing.
• Writing for the specific reading level of your audience. 
• Re-engaging with a manuscript that you have set aside for a while.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/431

Do you love to read? If you're at all like me, chances are your list of books TBR (to be read) is much bigger than the number of books you could ever read in a lifetime. This means that your reading time is precious and you have to be super-smart about how you choose books and approach your reading, so it has maximum impact on your writing. I call this "reading with purpose" and that's the topic for today's show. For more info and show notes go to DIYMFA.com/011.

Today, Lori is interviewing Donnaldson Brown. They’ll be talking about Because I Loved You, and about how her background in screenwriting has influenced her prose.

Donnaldson 's debut novel, Because I Loved You, is due out in April 2023 with She Writes Press. An attorney and former screenwriter, she worked with Robert Redford’s film development company for several years. Her spoken word pieces have been featured in The Deep Listening Institute’s Writers in Performance and Women & Identity Festivals, and in the Made in the Berkshires Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She’s been awarded several residencies.

A longtime resident of both Brooklyn, New York and western Massachusetts, Ms. Brown grew up riding horses on a family ranch in East Texas as well as in her native Connecticut. She is a facilitator and trainer with The Equus Effect, offering somatic based experiential learning with horses for veterans, first responders and others struggling with ptsd, and is also certified to teach meditation and several forms of yoga. 

She is a proud mother, and loves to sing, cycle, and hike with her dogs. 

You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

In this episode Donnaldson and Lori discuss:

• The impact of secrets on multiple generations.

• Starting a project with an image and painting it into prose.

• Directing a reader’s imagination through clues and cues.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/458

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rob Hart.

Rob is the author of The Warehouse, a gripping speculative thriller which sold in more than 20 countries and was optioned for film by Ron Howard. He is also the author of the Ash McKenna series, the short story collection Take-Out, and Scott Free with James Patterson. His latest book is The Paradox Hotel, about a hotel at the crossroads of the space-time continuum.

In this episode Rob Hart and I discuss:

• Why naming characters is important and where he found the names for these characters. 
• How to write an unlikeable character that your readers will actually like.
• Using storytelling to shine a light on bad things that are happening in the real world.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/403

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Cynthia Leitich Smith.

Cynthia is a New York Times bestselling author known for her award-winning children’s and YA books. She writes both realistic contemporary stories and fantastical narratives, and most recently, she won the American Indian Youth Literature YA Award for Hearts Unbroken published by Candlewick.

Today we’ll be discussing one of her most recent projects: Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for kids, a middle grade anthology published by Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperChildren’s where Cynthia is the author-curator. In addition to her work in publishing, she is also on the faculty of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a citizen of Mvskoke Nation and makes her home in Austin, Texas.

In this episode Cynthia and I discuss:

• How the lack of Native representation in Middle Grade books inspired Cynthia’s writing and the impetus for Heartdrum.
• What elements are important to include when writing specifically for Middle Graders and how MG is distinct from YA.
• Why it’s important to create an inclusive feeling  of a “we” not “me” book within diverse literature.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/346

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Marcella Pixley, the author of four acclaimed books for young people.

Her novel Freak was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year for 2007, Without Tess was a Junior Library Guild Selection, and Ready to Fall was a Bank Street of Education Best Book for 2017. Her most recent novel Trowbridge Road was just recently named as one of ten books for children for the National Book Awards 2020.

Marcella first began her writing career as a poet and has published in several literary journals including Sow's Ear Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner and Poet Lore, plus she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her fiction has a lyric quality, which makes sense given her roots in poetry, and teaches 8th grade Language Arts at the Carlisle Public Schools.

Today we’ll be discussing Marcella’s most recent book, Trowbridge Road.

In this episode Marcella and I discuss:

• How her personal childhood experiences and her diagnosis of OCD inspired her book Trowbridge Road.
• Why she believes that MG should be written authentically to reflect realistic, traumatic, and difficult childhood experiences.
• What character voices, detailed moments, and scenes she specifically crafted to reflect her experiences. 

Plus, their #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/336

Hey there word nerds!

Today's episode features one of my most favorite authors EVER: Austin Kleon. If you don’t know who he is, Austin is the New York Times bestselling author of three illustrated books: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, Newspaper Blackout, and Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered. His latest project is The Steal Like an Artist Journal: A Notebook for Creative Kleptomaniacs and it's in stores now.

If you haven't read Austin's books yet, go to it! Seriously, these books will change the way you think about creativity, writing, and--most importantly--life.

In this episode Austin and I discuss:

• Honoring your reality, both the world around you and your personal reality.
• Learning from your mistakes instead of focusing on your failures.
• Practicing by copying other people’s work by hand.
• Different tools for different types of writing.
• How practicing “less is more” can help your craft.

Plus, Austin’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/066

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Morgan. A USA Today bestselling author Sarah writes lively, sexy contemporary stories for Harlequin.

Romantic Times has described her as “a magician with words” and nominated her books for their Reviewer's Choice Awards and their “Top Pick” slot. In 2012 Sarah received the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America. Today we’ll be discussing the art and craft behind her latest novel A Wedding in December.

In this episode, Sarah and I discuss:

• How one character inspired A Wedding in December
• What makes holiday romances so popular
• Navigating writing a story where “happily ever after” is guaranteed
• Developing an authentic setting
• Balancing family secrets in a multi-pov story

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/285

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jeffrey James Higgins. We’ll be talking about his closed setting thriller novel Furious: Sailing Into Terror.

Jeffrey James Higgins is a retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, scripts, creative nonfiction, and essays. He has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, Fox News, and The New York Times. He is a #1 Amazon bestselling author and has won sixteen literary awards, including PenCraft’s Best Fiction Book of 2021. He was just nominated for Silver Falchion Awards for Best Suspense and Best Thriller and a Claymore Award for Best Mystery. 

You can find him on his website or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Goodreads, IMDB, Amazon, and BookBub.

In this episode Jeffrey James Higgins and I discuss:

• How to maintain tension and conflict for your character during slow scenes
• When to incorporate social and cognitive psychology into your writing
• How to write about the will to survive in a character that is suffering grief

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/429

Hello hello, word nerds!

Welcome to our latest episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m speaking with Chad Dundas, the debut author of the historical sports novel: THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.

When publishing their debuts, writers have to contend with many different hurdles. They need to grab the attention of agents and editors. They need to hook readers from the very first page. And they must do all of this at a time when they don’t yet have a track record of success and a huge fanbase to rely on.

Some authors might be tempted to play it safe, but not Chad Dundas. He chooses a topic--professional wrestling--that not many people are interested in. He sets his book in a world that most people don’t know much about: the traveling carnivals of the 1920s. And he opens his book with a chapter where at the end it’s unclear whether the point-of-view character is even still alive.

As writers, I think it’s so important for us to hear not just from major bestselling authors with dozens (if not hundreds) of books under their belts. I also want you to hear from authors who are just a few steps ahead of where you are. I want you to know that you can take risks in your debut novel, and I want to introduce you to writers who are doing just that.

In this episode Chad and I discuss:

• Starting your novel when something happens
• Researching to get the historical elements just right
• The craft of writing on a chapter level
• Reality versus fiction in your writing and your life

Plus, Chad’s #1 tip for writers.

More about Chad:

Chad Dundas earned his MFA from the University of Montana, and his short fiction has appeared in the Beloit Fiction Journal, Sycamore Review, Sou’Wester, and Thuglit. Since 2001, he’s worked as a sportswriter for national outlets including ESPN, NBC Sports, Sporting News, Bleacher Report, and the Associated Press, as well as local and regional newspapers. A fourth-generation Montanan, he lives with his wife and children in Missoula.

To learn more about Chad check out his website, or follow him on Twitter.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/115

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have author D.P. Lyle on the show!

In his writing career, Doug has received a Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award and has been nominated for a gazillion others including, but nowhere near limited to, the Edgar, Agatha, and Silver Falchion. He is the author of 17 books, including the thriller series of Samantha Cody, Dub Walker, and Jake Longly (which is the one highlighted on the show!). He has also worked with writers of numerous popular T.V. shows like, Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Monk, and the list goes on.

As if all that wasn’t impressive enough, Doug is also the VP of Education for International Thriller Writers. This means he is in charge of CraftFest, Master CraftFest, and ITW’s online Thriller School.

Listen in as we discuss his latest Jake Longly thriller, and the art of crafting a thriller series to keep all your readers, both new and super fans, coming back for more.

In this episode Doug and I discuss:

• The importance of settings, and how to use them right.
• What the two types of series are, and how to write them both.
• Tips to overcome the challenges of the thriller series character.
• Less is more, knowing what to leave in and what to leave out.
• An inside look at ITW’s educational programs, and ThrillerFest 2018.

Plus, Doug’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/180

Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I’m interviewing Calee Lee, the founder and CEO of Xist Publishing, the largest independent digital-first children's publisher. She is also the author of more than 15  books for children. Dedicated to helping kids develop a lifetime love of reading, she founded Xist Publishing in 2011 to provide beautiful books for the touchscreen generation. Today she’ll share insights about alternative paths to publishing. For writers who don't want to go with abig 5 publisher but also don't want to self-publish, there is an alternate route. In this episode Calee tells us about medium and small press publishers, in particular her own company, Xist Publishing, which is a digital-first independent children's publisher. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/051

Today, Lori is interviewing Neely Tubati Alexander. They’ll be talking about Love Buzz and the importance of listening to your intuition when crafting a novel.

Neely Tubati Alexander is a first-generation Indian American mother of two. Originally from the Seattle area where Love Buzz, her debut novel, is largely set, she seeks to tell lighthearted, female-driven stories with diverse characters and strong women who pursue both love and careers. If she's not tucked away at the little desk in her bedroom writing, you can find her at some kiddo activity, drinking wine, or watching reality TV, usually the last two together. She lives in sunny Arizona with her family.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

In this episode Neely Tubati Alexander and Lori discuss:

• Pansing your way through drafts to gain a deeper understanding of your characters.

• How to tease out secrets and set pacing based on your intuition.

• Creating a rich cast to support your main character with purpose.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/460

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of hosting author and illustrator Trinka Hakes Noble on the show!

Trinka is the award-winning author of over thirty picture books, and has been hailed as the champion of the picture book genre. Her latest book, Rettie and the Ragamuffin Parade, is a historical fiction starring a young girl named Rettie in 1918 America during the deadly influenza pandemic.

Listen in as we get the inside scoop on how Rettie’s world was created, and geek out about the picture book genre.  

In this episode Trinka and I discuss:

• Crafting historical fiction that places children in the shoes of the characters.
• How to use big moments in history to anchor your story.
• Why it’s so important—both in general, but most especially in children’s books—that the main character not come across as a victim.
• The important differences between a “story book” and a “picture book” and distinguishing features in each of these forms.
• Why it’s so important to trust your illustrator when you write picture books, and how your art director and illustrator can elevate your book to new heights.

Plus, Trinka’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/166

Many people say they want to write a book, but very few actually do it. Stop dream, start doing. I'll show you how.

Today's episode is all about getting those words on the page and that book out into the world. During the show I talk about why you need to write this book in the first place. Then I debunk three major myths about writing, plus give you a "secret" formula for how to up your game. Finally I share the #1 writing tool that has changed my writing forever and walk you through the step-by-step of putting that tool into action. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/026

Today, Lori is interviewing Courtney Maum. They’ll be talking about honesty in memoir and her book The Year of the Horses.

Author of five books, including the game changing publishing guide Before and After the Book Deal and the memoir, The Year of the Horses, (chosen by The Today Show as the best read for mental health awareness), Courtney is a writer and book coach hellbent on preserving the joy of art-making in a culture obsessed with turning artists into brands. 

A nominee for the Joyce Carol Oates prize and the host of the monthly “Beyond Fiction” conversation series at Edith Wharton’s The Mount, Courtney’s essays and articles on creativity have been widely published in outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, and her short story This is Not Your Fault was recently turned into an Audible Original. 

A frequent interviewer of high-profile writers such as Anne Perry, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Edouard Louis, Courtney is also the founder of the learning collaborative, The Cabins. You can sign up for her publishing newsletter and enroll in her online writing classes at CourtneyMaum.com, or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Substack. She’s happy to be here.

In this episode Courtney Maum and Lori discuss:

• The challenges of getting to the absolute truth in nonfiction.
• How her copy editing career affects her creative endeavors.
• Using frustration as her muse.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/449

Hey there word nerds!

Today we have a little change of pace in store for you. As you may recall, when I’m at different conferences, I’ll sometimes record a live-from-the-conference interview, and this happens to be one of those episodes!

This interview was recorded in front of a LIVE studio audience at INBOUND 2018. Now, if you’re not familiar with INBOUND, it’s a fantastic conference hosted by HubSpot and takes place in Boston every fall. INBOUND has featured some truly incredible keynote speakers during the years I’ve attended like Michelle Obama, Brene Brown, and Deepak Chopra. I know right!

Now if you’re a marketing nerd like me, or your day job happens to be in marketing, social media, or design, this is the conference to attend. And the INBOUND team has graciously given us a discount code, which will give you $150 off a 4-Day, All-Access pass to this year’s event. Check out our show notes page for the info to take advantage of this amazing deal!

So why do I love INBOUND so much? Well over the years I have been attending, I have had the awesome opportunity to speak at this event, and have been able to foster several friendships. And one of the people I’ve connected with happens to be today’s guest, Strother Gaines.

Strother is a business and personal coach for creative entrepreneurs and those who want to become one.

He is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and his coaching business has just about the best name of all time: “But I'm a Unicorn, Dammit!” In his business, Strother works passionately to help as many people as possible own up to the fact that they're a unique f($!@& snowflake.

He also served as the event director for the DC Chapter of Network Under 40 and he recently spoke at the TEDx MidAtlantic Festival on on the topic of storytelling.

I have also had the opportunity to hear Strother speak at INBOUND on networking, and after hearing his talk I knew I had to have him on the show to discuss this very topic. If you’re anything like me, you might look forward to networking about as much as you look forward to a deadline. It’s both terrifying and invigorating at the same time.

So listen in as Strother and I chat about why networking is so freaking hard, and how the best way to make it easy is to show up as authentically you.

In this episode Strother and I discuss:

• Tools to access your authentic self.
• Clamping down on what you share vs. keeping your privacy boundaries up.
• The benefits of getting a “no”.
• Networking pitfalls to avoid.
• Ice breakers and best practices in networking environments.

Plus, Strother’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/244

Some people think unlimited possibilities leads to unlimited creativity. Not so. In this episode, you'll find out why it's important to limit your options in order to take decisive action. For more info and show notes check out DIYMFA.com/004

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth Gonzalez James.

Elizabeth’s stories and essays have appeared in The Idaho Review, The Rumpus, PANK, and elsewhere, and have received numerous Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. She is also a regular contributor to Ploughshares Blog. Her debut novel Mona at Sea was a finalist in the 2019 SFWP Literary Awards judged by Carmen Maria Machado, and is out now. We’ll be discussing her book and her writing process in today’s interview.

In this episode Elizabeth and I discuss:

• How she wrote about an unemployed character in an interesting and refreshing way.
• The importance of assembling a good critique group and reading good craft books.
• Why persistence and patience are major parts of the publishing journey.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/376

Hey there word nerds! I am so excited to share this new episode with you.

Today I have the pleasure of speaking with author John Sandford. This, of course, is the pseudonym of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp and he is the author of 45 books and counting!

In case you’re curious, his writing credits include twenty-six Prey novels; four Kidd novels; nine Virgil Flowers novels; three YA novels co-authored with his wife, Michele Cook; and three standalone books, most recently Saturn Run.

In this episode John and I discuss:

• Why he chose to base a series around a supporting character from his Prey novels, Virgil Flowers, and how humor plays into this spin-off series.
• How his three series tie together by existing in the same world, and the contrast between the protagonists in each.
• Why thrillers with a criminal as the protagonist tend to be less popular than those with sleuths or law enforcers as the focus, and where antiheroes fit into that picture.
• How to create antiheroes who are compelling (even if they’re unlikeable) by focusing on their motivations and using humor.
• Crafting a great heist story, and why it’s important for the target of the heist to be even more reprehensible than the thieves stealing the money.
• Where he gets inspiration for his characters’ names, and it’s not how you would expect.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

About the Author

John Sandford is the pseudonym of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author to twenty-six Prey novels; four Kidd novels; nine Virgil Flowers novels; three YA novels co-authored with his wife, Michele Cook; and three standalone books, most recently Saturn Run.

Nine years ago, he brought Virgil Flowers, a supporting character in his Prey series, to life launched a spin-off series around this character. The result was another riveting #1 bestselling series. Over the course of the Virgil Flowers series, Sandford’s novels have achieved enormous popularity, both among fans and reviewers, and the ninth installment in the series, ESCAPE CLAUSE, does not disappoint.

For more info and complete show notes: DIYMFA.com/120

Hey there word nerds!

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Henry Clark.

Henry is the author of What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World as well as The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens. He has contributed articles to MAD magazine and published fiction in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in addition to acting at Old Bethpage Village Restoration, a living-history museum. Today we’ll be talking about his latest novel: What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon.

In this episode Henry and I discuss:

• The symbolic meaning of numbers and how it interplays with magic.
• Why a trio of protagonists creates a great dynamic for moving along a story.
• How to use humor as a vehicle for character development.

Plus, his #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: www.diymfa.com/311 

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of hosting Jodi Thomas on the show!

Jodi is both a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 50 novels and countless short story collections.

With five RITA’s to her credit, along with National Readers’ Choice Awards and Booksellers’ Best Awards, Jodi has proven her skill as a master storyteller, and in July 2006, was the 11th writer to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame.

Her latest novel The Little Tea Shop on Main, while still focusing on love, diverts slightly from the romance genre into women’s fiction.

So listen in as Jodi and I chat about this amazing book and how to get so deep into your characters that both you and your readers feel that they are real people.

In this episode Jodi and I discuss:

• Giving each viewpoint character a distinct voice.
• How to craft three equally weighted protagonists in one story.
• Creating characters that extend beyond the page for your readers.
• How to use supporting characters for more than just a plot twist.
• Painting a realistic picture on the page by “walking the land” of your story.

Plus, Jodi’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/253

One of the biggest game-changers for my writing career has been attending writers' conferences. In this episode, I share some insider conference tips to help you get the most out of the experience and help you network like a pro (even if you're an introvert, like me). I used to be terrified of live events because I'm painfully shy, but with practice I've learned how to bring my A-game to every conference I attend, and now I'm speaking at them too! In this episode I reveal the #1 thing you must do at a conference in order to get the most out of it. I also walk you through the before, during, and after stages, with practical tips of what to do at each point. I share a simple 4-step formula to help you connect with bigwigs in any situation, plus I'll give you insights on what NOT to do so you always put your best foot forward. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/032

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so honored to welcome David L. Harrison to the show!

David is an award winning American children’s author and poet. His poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for young readers have been anthologized in more than 185 books, translated into twelve languages, sandblasted into a library sidewalk, and painted on a bookmobile.

His poetry collection, Pirates, represented Missouri at the 2013 National Book Fair in Washington, D.C. He is also the poet laureate of Drury University, and he actually has an Elementary School named after him!

David is here with us today to discuss one of his latest works, a picture book poetry collection he did with artist Giles Laroche called A Place to Start a Family: Poems About Creatures that Build; which combines the science of how animals build their nests to mate and reproduce with the art of poetry.

So listen in as David and I chat about crafting beautiful poems from equally beautiful science, for young readers.

In this episode David and I discuss:

• The challenges of crafting scientific facts as a poem, and how to do it right.
• How to focus your research to inform your writing.
• Why the need for accuracy in children’s books is even more important than in adult books.
• Matching the poetic structure and rhythm to the theme of the poem.
• Using spatial poetry in picture books to enhance the reading experience.

Plus, David’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/212

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have my good friend and mentor Jane Friedman on the show!

Jane has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in digital media strategy for authors and publishers. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet (my go-to resource about the industry), is a columnist for Publishers Weekly, and has been interviewed on many prestigious media outlets like NPR, PBS, and The Washington Post.

In addition to all these accomplishments, Jane has delivered keynotes and presentations on the digital era of authorship at major writing events and today she is here to share her expertise with an inside look at her new book The Business of Being a Writer.

Listen in as we chat about the topic Jane discusses in her book and the ins and outs of the business side of writing most creatives don’t often talk about but need to hear.

In this episode Jane and I discuss:

• Bridging the divide between art and business.
• Developing your own marketing strategy to make a living as a writer.
• Understanding the truth about how the publishing industry works.
• Tips for building your own business model.
• How to be entrepreneurial in your writing career without being an entrepreneur.

Plus, Jane’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/194

Today, Lori is interviewing Erin La Rosa. They’ll be talking about tropes in romance and her book For Butter or Worse.

Erin La Rosa is the author of the upcoming romance novel, For Butter or Worse. She's previously written for BuzzFeed and Funny or Die. She worked as a social media manager for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video before quitting her day job to focus on writing books.

You can find her on her website, or follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

In this episode Erin La Rosa and Lori discuss:

• Where in her real life she draws inspiration from for the locations in her writing.
• How to suck your readers in when your main characters start out unsympathetic.
• What special sauce a dual narrative brings to the enemies to lovers trope.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/420

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Debbie Macomber.

Debbie is the author of many books including: It's Better This Way, A Walk Along the Beach, Window on the Bay, Cottage by the Sea, Any Dream Will Do, If Not for You, and the Rose Harbor Inn series. Thirteen of her novels have been New York Times #1 bestsellers, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel. The Hallmark Channel has also produced the original series Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, based on her Cedar Cove books. With more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide, Debbie is a leading voice in romance and women's fiction.

In this episode Debbie Macomber and I discuss:

• How our subconscious comes out in writing and directs the topics we explore.
• The balance between writing light Christmas stories and still providing substance.
• Why she began her book with a series of letters and flashbacks mixed with the present.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/381

I am absolutely thrilled for this episode today. Not only is the topic timely and something that's on a lot of writers' minds, but I get to interview two awesome authors about their new book: The Art of Social Media. These authors are, of course, Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick and their book is filled with tips and techniques that will help with your social media, whether you've been on social media since it started, or are just starting out.

After having the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of The Art of Social Media, I would would recommend it for newbies and social media junkies alike, though for different reasons. For newbies, this book breaks breaks things down into small, manageable pieces, so even a topic as broad (and potentially overwhelming) a social media can feel totally doable. And for social media junkies, I would recommend this book for its more overarching ideas: like how to continue to generate good content, and create an integrated social media strategy. As someone who spends a lot of time on social media, I found some great actionable tips and ideas that I've already implemented in my own social media strategy.

In this interview, the authors share some of their best tips about social media. From big picture ideas about content marketing, to the nuts-and-bolts of social media, listen in for a great interview about social media for writers.  For more details and information, head over to the show notes at DIYMFA.com/027

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

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of hosting Kevin Brooks on the show!

Kevin is a critically acclaimed young adult novelist whose first book, Martyn Pig, was named a Publishers Weekly “Flying Start” selection. Kevin has written many books since then including Black Rabbit Summer, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal, and The Bunker Diary, which won the Carnegie Medal in 2014.

His most recent novel, Born Scared, is a terrifying thriller about a 13-year-old boy named Elliot confined to his home by incapacitating fear. But then on Christmas Eve, a mixup at the pharmacy leaves him with not enough pills. His mother must go out into the snowstorm to get more, and when she doesn’t come back Elliot has to venture out after her on his own.

This book really resonated with me on so many levels and I’m sure it will resonate with many of you as well.

So listen in as Kevin and I talk about this amazing book, and learning how to embrace the fear of writing not just on the page but as writers.

In this episode Kevin and I discuss:

• Tackling the deeply, dark reality of mental illness on the page.
• How to deal with “analysis paralysis” and keep writing.
• Creating drama and suspense when your character is in a very confined space.
• The technique of shifting between 1st and 3rd person POV, and how to do it right.
• How to use the design aspects of writing to enhance your story.

Plus, Kevin’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/237

When it comes to building a writing community, Karen Dionne knows where it's at. Co-founder of Backspace--an online community for writers of all genres--and organizer of many conferences, Karen knows exactly what goes into creating and maintaining a writing community. In this interview, Karen shares writing community tips for success and avoiding pitfalls. She also gives great advice about choosing and attending conferences, and how community can be a HUGE factor in helping writers improve their craft. For more info and show notes, check out DIYMFA.com/007

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the absolute pleasure of hosting New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham on the show!

A theater arts major at the University of South Florida, Heather began her career with several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals and bartending. After the birth of her third child, she decided to stay home and that’s when she began to write.

Since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, sci-fi, young adult, and Christmas family fare.

She has been published in twenty-five languages with about 60 million books in print and has been honored with just about every major writing award under the sun, including the  prestigious Thriller Master Award, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romance Writers of America.

Heather has also been featured in several media outlets including People and USA Today, as well as on newscasts such as Today and Entertainment Tonight.

Her newest book, A Lethal Legacy, is a chilling thriller which I read cover-to-cover because I could not put it down!

So listen in as Heather and I chat about this amazing book, and how to craft a fictitious setting that feels real.

In this episode Heather and I discuss:

• Building your world’s lore and mythology.
• How to use your setting to create impending peril and suspense in your plot.
• Why you need to make your readers care about the supporting cast.
• Crafting your villain’s motivations so they ring true for readers.
• Using alternating point of view characters to give a broader view of your story.

Plus, Heather’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/243.

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing E.J. Wenstrom

1. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. Her award-winning fantasy series Chronicles of the Third Realm War (City Owl Press) features a peculiar mashup of Greek mythology, Judeo-Christian folklore, and an extra dash of her own special brand of chaos.

The series includes Florida Writers Association’s 2016 Book of the Year Mud, Rain (which is the prequel), Tides, and—most recently—Sparks, which concludes the series.

In this episode E.J. and I discuss:

• How an internship led E.J. to discover a love of writing
• How research on monsters became the inspiration for finding Adem’s voice
• Finding hope in the midst of a seemingly hopeless story
• Setting up a satisfying series ending
• How E.J. uses an “ugly draft” to facilitate writing a book a year
• The benefits of publishing with a small press

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/297

Hey there word nerds!

I’m sooooo excited for today’s interview because I have Andrew Shaffer on the show!

Andrew is the bestselling author of several humorous works of fiction and nonfiction including the parody Fifty Shames of Earl Grey.

He is also the owner and creative director of Order of St. Nick, the quirky greeting card company whose cards have been featured on The Colbert Report, and is the publisher of 8th Circle Press.

Andrew’s latest humourous yarn is Hope Never Dies: An Obama/Biden Mystery. Part noir mystery, part bromance, and part parody, this novel features Obama and Biden teaming up to solve a grisly murder.

Hooked yet?

Well then listen in as Andrew and I chat about this awesome book, and the art of combining the dark elements of noir with the comedy of bromance.

In this episode Andrew and I discuss:

• Why choosing the right point of view character is so important to your story.
• Crafting characters not caricatures.
• How to use public figures in your book without hindering your writing (or getting sued).
• Parody, what it is and how to do it right.
• Using comedy to your story’s best advantage.

Plus, Andrew’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/225

Sooner or later you're going to have to ask for something. Whether it's asking readers to buy your book, or asking someone to help you promote it, at some point you'll find yourself in a place where you need to ask for help. Having been on both the asking and helping sides of this equation, I've learned that there's a specific WAY of asking that automatically opens people up to helping you. In this episode, I break down the "Art of the Ask" and share the 3-step process I use whenever I ask for help. For more info and show notes go to DIYMFA.com/010.

Hey there Word Nerd! Today I have the great pleasure of hosting Julie Duffy on the show. Julie is the founder of the StoryADay May creative writing challenge, which is basically like the short story version of NaNoWriMo. This challenge happens in May, which is only a few short weeks away, and it’s an incredible experience.

More personally, though, Julie and I both started our respective projects (her StoryADay, my DIY MFA) the same year and only a few months apart. You could say we’re part of the same creative cohort and we’ve “come up through the ranks” together. Julie is one of my most trusted colleagues, probably the person I most frequently turn to for advice and insights outside the DIY MFA team, and I’m also lucky to count her as one of my good friends. Today it is an honor and pleasure to introduce my word nerds to someone who I’ve known is AWESOME for quite some time.

Embed Episode Here

In this episode Julie and I discuss:

• Whether writing one story a day for a month is easier or harder than writing a novel in a month.
• How to keep the creative well from running dry.
• Setting limits and how they can help you be more creative.
• Barriers to overcome in order to be more creative.

Plus, Julie’s #1 tip for writers.

Resources:

About Julie Duffy

Julie Duffy is the founder of StoryADay.org and a experienced public speaker on topics such as creativity, productivity for writers, self-publishing – with an emphasis on ebooks and print on-demand, and short stories. Her first ebook, 21st Century Publishing, was published in 2001 and grew out of her popular newsletter and website of the same name. She has been sharing tools and insights with authors ever since, in publications such as Writer’s Digest and Writers’ Journal.

Julie has hosted StoryADay May since 2010 and StoryADay September since 2012.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Julie was Director of Author Services at Xlibris, the first company to offer print on-demand services directly to authors. In this role she frequently spoke at writers’ conferences about the new age of publishing that was dawning and is now shaking apart the publishing world. She personally worked with a couple of thousand authors from first-time writers to best-selling authors such as Piers Anthony and Daniel Pinkwater.

She knows writers. She knows about the new world of publishing. She is happy to introduce them to each other. If you want to learn more about Julie and StoryADay, visit her website or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest.

Links from the Episode

Interested in signing up for StoryADay? Go here to sign up! You can also sign up for email updates to get reminders about upcoming challenges and other StoryADay info. And don’t forget to order your copy of A Month of Writing Prompts 2016 (affiliate link).

Need inspiration to jumpstart your story writing? Check out Writer Igniter.

We mentioned That Guy in Your MFA during the show.

Don’t forget! Sign up for the Storytelling Superpower Summit.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/091

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am delighted to have Jarett Kobek on the show!

Jarett published his first novel, I Hate the Internet, last year with a small indie publisher and it immediately took on cult status and received rave reviews. His new book, The Future Won’t Be Long, centers on one of the characters (Adeline) featured in I Hate the Internet and is set in my favorite city, New York!

Listen in as we discuss Jarett’s latest novel and his techniques to keep a book based around technology relevant even when the tech in the story becomes obsolete.

In this episode Jarett and I discuss:

• The art of explaining everything, and why you should use the technique.
• His tips and tricks for keeping the technology in a book relevant for future generations.
• When to set a project aside and how to go back and edit it later.
• How to grow your characters through multiple books as well as in a single book.
• Why readers want to read multivolume stories.

Plus, Jarett’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/174

Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio. So glad you're here! Today I’m so excited to interview Stuart Horowitz from Book Architecture. Stuart is someone who is as excited about connecting with writers and helping them reach their goals as I am. We'll be talking about planning your novel and how to plot without a formula. Listen in for the interview and check out our show notes at DIYMFA.com/038. Take-home message: intelligent planning is not the enemy of creative genius.

Hey there word nerds!

Today I have the pleasure of hosting Gina Cascone and Bryony Williams Sheppard on the show!

This mother-daughter powerhouse team has co-authored the picture book Around the World Right Now, a multicultural adventure through our world's 24 time zones.

Gina is the author of 30 books in several different genres, and Bryony is a teacher at heart and loves bringing stories to life for her students, making them the perfect duo to bring this story to life.

Listen in as we dissect the writing elements of Around the World Right Now and the exciting, often daunting, task of crafting a picture book.

In this episode Gina, Bryony, and I discuss:

• What the important things you must consider when writing a picture book.
• The delicate balance between not fixating too much on the images while also giving the illustrator something to work with.
• How to craft a good story that can also be a great learning tool.
• Why it is much more difficult to write for children than adults.
• How to craft a picture book that can engage and entertain children while not being flashy.

Plus both of these ladies' #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/161

I have been a long-time follower of author Jeff Goins and his work, so it was an absolute thrill to host him on the show for this episode. In it we discuss his journey as a writer and how he got to where he is now, how he found his purpose (and how other writers can do the same), and the power of building an online platform. We also talked about finding that "sweet spot" between what you're passionate about, what you're good at and what the market wants in order to make maximum impact. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/029

Hey there word nerds!

Today I am so excited to have Rebecca Behrens on the show!

Rebecca is not only a fabulous middle grade author but also a dear friend. In fact, we live directly across the street from each other here in New York City, and we were part of the same “Write Nite Ladies” kidlit writing group for years.

Rebecca is the author of the middle grade historical fiction novels When Audrey Met Alice, Summer of Lost and Found, and most recently The Last Grand Adventure. All of her books have garnered high praise from sources like Kirkus, BookPage, and School Library Journal, and some of her favorite things include: the beach, history, running, doughnuts, and laughing.

So listen in as we chat about Rebecca’s newest middle grade novel, and how to blend fact and fiction together when writing historical novels for young readers.

In this episode Rebecca and I discuss:

• Weaving a famous historical figure into your fiction the right way.
• How to work around legal red flags when writing historical fiction.
• Crafting supporting characters in a road trip story.
• The importance of representing real people accurately in your novel.
• How to use your setting to develop your main character’s arc.

Plus, Rebecca’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/215

Hey there Word Nerds!

I am so glad you've joined me because today’s episode is going to be epic.

In this interview, I speak with Andrew Piper, Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at McGill University. Andrew is the director of .txtLAB (a digital humanities lab at McGill) and is the leader of the multinational research consortium, “NovelITM: Text Mining the novel.” Basically he uses quantitative data to gain a more in-depth understanding of thematic and stylistic elements within the novel as an art-form.

Andrew and his colleague Richard So wrote an article earlier this year in The Atlantic that got a lot of people riled up. They shared research on novels written by authors either with or without an MFA and found that there wasn't any significant difference between writers in both categories. This article added depth to that perennial MFA debate.

Should you (or shouldn't you) get an MFA? As you know, this is a subject near and dear to my heart. And now it turns out that there's actual data suggesting that an MFA degree isn't a very good predictor of whether someone will become a published author, or even write a great book.

It seems especially fitting for this episode to air this week, just a few short days before the official NYC launch event for my own book.

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In this episode Andrew and I discuss:

• How a computer might (or might not) be able to differentiate between novels of various qualities, versus various genres.
• The extent to which racial and gender diversity in writing shows up in the literature produced by MFA programs (the Whiteness factor)
• The role of data analysis in uncovering bias in the publishing industry.
• Embracing data and computation in the process of growing as a creative.

Plus, Andrew’s #1 tip for writers.

Andrew Piper is Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at McGill University. He is the director of .txtLAB @ McGill, a digital humanities laboratory, as well as leader of the multinational research consortium, “NovelTM: Text Mining the Novel,” which brings together 21 partners across North America and Europe to undertake the first large-scale quantitative and cross-cultural study of the novel. He is the author most recently of Book Was There: Reading in Electronic Times (Chicago 2012) as well as Dreaming in Books: The Making of the Bibliographic Imagination in the Romantic Age (Chicago 2009), which was awarded the MLA Prize for a First Book and honourable mention for the Harry Levin Prize for the American Comparative Literature Association.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/107