The Story Craft Cafe Podcast (storycraftcafe)

Christopher Moore is an American writer of comic fantasy. 

An only child, Moore learned to amuse himself with his imagination. He loved reading and his father brought him plenty of books from the library every week. He started writing around the age of twelve and realized that this was his talent by the time he was 16, and he began to consider making it his career.

Moore's novels typically involve conflicted everyman characters struggling through supernatural or extraordinary circumstances. With the possible exceptions of Fool, The Serpent of Venice, Sacré Bleu, and Shakespeare for Squirrels: A Novel, all his books take place in the same universe and some characters recur from novel to novel.

According to his interview in the June 2007 issue of Writer's Digest, the film rights to Moore's first novel, Practical Demonkeeping (1992), were purchased by Disney even before the book had a publisher. In answer to repeated questions from fans over the years, Moore stated that all of his books have been optioned or sold for films, but that as yet "none of them are in any danger of being made into a movie."

Moore has named Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, John Steinbeck, Tom Robbins, Richard Brautigan, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, Jules Verne, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and Ian Fleming as key influences on his writing.

Moore lives in San Francisco, after a few years on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

Sunday Times bestseller, Lucy Clarke, is the author of seven psychological thrillers - THE SEA SISTERS, A SINGLE BREATH, THE BLUE/NO ESCAPE, LAST SEEN, YOU LET ME IN, THE CASTAWAYS, and ONE OF THE GIRLS. Her debut novel was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, and her books have been sold in over 20 territories. THE BLUE is currently being filmed for a seven-part television series for ParmountPlus, due for release in 2023.

Lucy is a passionate traveller, beach hut dweller, and fresh air enthusiast. She's married to a professional windsurfer and, together with their two children, they spend their winters travelling and their summers at home on the south coast of England. Lucy writes from a beach hut, using the inspiration from the wild south coast to craft her stories.

David Koepp has written or co-written the screenplays for more than thirty films, including APARTMENT ZERO (1989), BAD INFLUENCE (1990), DEATH BECOMES HER (1992), CARLITO’S WAY (1993), JURASSIC PARK (1993), THE PAPER (1994), MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996), THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997), SNAKE EYES (1998), PANIC ROOM (2002), SPIDER-MAN (2002), WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005), INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008), ANGELS & DEMONS (2009), INFERNO (2016), and KIMI (2022).

As a director, his work includes the films THE TRIGGER EFFECT (1996), STIR OF ECHOES (1999), SECRET WINDOW (2004), GHOST TOWN (2007), PREMIUM RUSH (2012), and YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT (2020). GHOST TOWN and PREMIUM RUSH were co-written with the enigmatic John Kamps.

Koepp’s forthcoming novel, AURORA, will be published by HarperCollins on June 7th, 2022. His first novel, COLD STORAGE, was published in 2019. His story YARD WORK, narrated by Kevin Bacon, was released by Audible Originals in July 2020.

He was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin and graduated from UCLA’s film school in 1986. He lives in New York City with his wife and children.

It's October, and that means it's time to start working on that novel that you've been thinking about. Our friends at NaNoWriMo have famously dubbed November as National Novel Writing Month, and we look forward to that time each year. Dabble has some amazing built in features to help you prepare for writing that novel. So we decided to form a group of writers who could prepare together, and then write their novels together as a way to inspire and help each other through the process. Last Thursday we had our first meeting of the Dabblers and talked about what we planned to do and how we wanted to make it happen. Listen in and join us and the writing challenge. There's still time. Tuesday night we'll have another hang out, this time with Jacob Wright, Dabble CEO, and we'll talk all about how Dabble's tools can help you succeed at your own writing challenge.  Thanks for listening.

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands of the United Kingdom and lived in nine villages before the age of eighteen. After studying law at the London School of Economics and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden where he built a wooden house in a boggy clearing at the center of a vast elk forest, and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. His debut novel, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball’s book club on ITV, shortlisted for the National Book Awards (UK), The Guardian’s Not the Booker prize, and was named a Telegraph book of the year.

From the acclaimed author of The Last Thing to Burn, a psychological thriller about the dark secrets that emerge when a woman’s twin sister is murdered, with his signature “intense, gripping, taut, terrifying, moving, and brilliant” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author) prose. Sisters. Soulmates. Strangers. Molly Raven lives a quiet, structured life in London, finding comfort in security and routine. Her identical twin Katie, living in New York, is the exact opposite: outgoing, spontaneous, and adventurous. But when Molly hears that Katie has died, possibly murdered, she is thrown into unfamiliar territory. As terrifying as it is, she knows she must travel across the ocean and find out what happened. But as she tracks her twin’s final movements, cracks begin to emerge, and she slowly realizes her sister was not who she thought she was and there’s a dangerous web of deceit surrounding the two of them.

We're kicking off a month that we're calling #KissTember. Since we are roughly six months away from Valentine's Day, if you are a romance author, or just thinking about dipping your toe in the romance waters, now is a great time to start focusing on that February release. To kick off this special month we have a conversation with Romance superstar Sierra Simone. From finding her voice to staking out her own corner of this wildly popular genre, Sierra has something for all us writers to add to our writer's toolkits. 

Sierra is a voracious reader of all things including the smuttiest smut, young adult, piles of non-fiction for research, and everything Bill Bryson (especially on audio).

She loves writing the dirtiest things that she can think of, King Arthur, sparkling water, Tarot, coffee, leggings, and learning new words daily. 

Her previous jobs have included firing ceramics, teaching living history lessons in one-room school house in full, 1904-approved school marm attire, and working as a librarian for several years—not in that order

She lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, two children, and two giant dogs. (And two cats, but they're so naughty we don't talk about them.) 

Her novels have been published in Czech, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, and Romanian. She's been featured in Buzzfeed, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, and Library Journal with a starred review.

Sierra is an internet introvert, but you can follow her on Spotify and Instagram, and chat with other readers in her Facebook group!

You can also reach her at thesierrasimone@gmail.com. (Please note that due to a high volume of emails, responses may be significantly delayed.)

You've finished your manuscript and now what? In 2023 writers have more options than ever to get their stories out to the world. Trad pub, indie, hybrid... they're all legitimate ways to publish, and our panel is going to talk about those, and attempt to shed some light on the realities of publishing in 2023.

Do you have a recommendation for a guest on the show? Want more of a particular direction of guests? Drop me a line at hank.garner@dabblewriter.com and let me know!

Join us at our YouTube channel to join in LIVE for upcoming author interviews! 

https://tinyurl.com/dabbleyoutube

None of This Is True: A Novel

Lisa Jewell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen novels, including The Family Upstairs and Then She Was Gone, as well as Invisible Girl and Watching You. Her novels have sold over 10 million copies internationally, and her work has also been translated into twenty-nine languages. Connect with her on Twitter @LisaJewellUK, on Instagram @LisaJewellUK, and on Facebook @LisaJewellOfficial.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Jason is the Content Manager for Kindlepreneur.com, and a mythology-inspired fantasy author. He loves mythology, history, and geek culture. When he's not writing, his favorite hobbies include hiking, chilling with his wife, spouting nonsense words at his baby daughter, and developing his website: MythBank.com.

Jason is also The Nerdy Novelist on YouTube, and has one of the most popular channels talking all about using AI in your author career.

We've talked about characters, and we've plumbed the depths of plot, but what if the story you're telling is actually one piece of a bigger puzzle, a series? How does editing in light of a series differ from sanding off the rough edges of a standalone story? When is it appropriate to start building a series bible? How do you keep characters consistent, yet growing from one part of the series to the next? We'll debate the finer points this week with special guest Richard Fox.

Welcome to the Story Craft Cafe podcast. As we continue our #indiesummmer coverage, we talk with an author today that has seen indie publishing go through ups and downs, from the wild wild west to a mature industry with opportunities and challenges for anyone wanting to get their stories out to the masses. Kevin Tumlinson writes science fiction as well as his current passion of Archaeological thrillers, (think Indiana Jones meets Dan Brown) and in this episode we talk about his thoughts abut what it takes to write in a particular genre and gather an audience, why he pivoted in his chosen genre, what he thinks is the number one thing authors can do to take their publishing to the next level, his work with indie publishing platform Draft2Digital, and so much more.

Kevin Tumlinson is the Novelist—an award-winning and bestselling author of hundreds of books crafted to thrill and inspire. He also serves as the Director of Marketing and PR for Draft2Digital, the leading distributor of books by independent authors and publishers, worldwide. Kevin is known as the Voice of Indie Publishing for his work in podcasts, conferences, public speaking, and consulting for authors. Every day he helps and encourages hundreds of thousands of will-be and established authors around the globe.

To help close out our final Friday of launch month, the Dabblers congregated in the Story Craft Cafe to talk about what motivates them as story tellers, how Dabble has helped them embrace their creativity, and the conversation inevitably turns to the topic of pantsing vs plotting and why one way is way better than the other.

Or is it? 

Michael La Ronn (also known as M.L. Ronn) has published over 80 science fiction & fantasy novels and self-help books for writers.   His fiction includes the urban fantasy Good Necromancer series, the dark fantasy Last Dragon Lord series, and the futuristic science fiction Android X series. Currently, he writes primarily urban fantasy.   His nonfiction books for writers include the bestselling Be a Writing Machine, which teaches how to beat writer’s block forever, and The Pocket Guide to Pantsing, which explains how to write a novel without an outline (with confidence).   Michael also runs the award-winning YouTube channel “Author Level Up,” with over 40,000 subscribers and 2 million views. Writer’s Digest voted the channel one of the “Best Resources for Writers” in 2020.   Michael devoted himself to the writing life in 2012 after a near-death experience, writing 10 to 12 books per year despite working a demanding full-time job as an insurance executive, raising a family, and attending law school classes in the evenings. His productivity methods are so effective that his YouTube subscribers have accused him of being a cyborg in disguise (he pleads the fifth).   For more information on Michael’s books, visit his fiction website at www.michaellaronn.com and his resources for writers at www.authorlevelup.com.

On today's show we have a special treat for you, a double header of interviews with two of the most creative thriller writers in publishing, Don Winslow and Taylor Adams. Be sure to join us at storycraft.cafe to stay informed about all upcoming shows!

 

Iris Yamashita is an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. She has been working in Hollywood for fifteen years developing material for both film and streaming, has taught screenwriting at UCLA, and is an advocate of women and diversity in the entertainment industry. She has also been a judge and mentor for various film and writing programs, and lives in California.

Steven James is a critically acclaimed author of eighteen novels and numerous nonfiction books that have sold more than 1 million copies. His books have won or been shortlisted for dozens of national and international awards. In addition, his stories and articles have appeared in more than eighty different publications, including the New York Times. He is also a popular keynote speaker and professional storyteller with a master’s degree in storytelling. 

James’ latest thriller, FATAL DOMAIN, is available. The new series follows Travis Brock, a redactor for the Department of Defense who must attempt to unearth the truth of a personal tragedy while trying to stop a terrorist group from stealing one of the military’s most highly guarded technological breakthroughs.

Since 1996, James has appeared more than two thousand times at events spanning the globe, presenting his stories and teaching the principles of storytelling to writers, speakers, teachers, and leaders. He also hosts the weekly podcast The Story Blender, on which he has interviewed more than 150 of the world’s leading writers and storytellers. In 2020, he was inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame for excellence in fiction writing. Publishers Weekly has called him “[a] master storyteller at the peak of his game.”

When he’s not writing or speaking, you may find him playing basketball or disc golf, or hiking near his home in the Appalachian Highlands of East Tennessee. He may or may not watch too many science fiction movies while eating bottomless bowls of chips and salsa. 

In the writing community we love to divide people into one of two camps: Plotters and Pantsers. Do you write with a solid well laid out plan before the drafting begins, or do you write by the seat of your pants and allow the whims and whimsy of the day carry you and your story to new heights and in new directions? 

Or can it be something in the middle of these two extremes? Hank and Doug will give you their honest thoughts, and probably include a few hot takes along the way.

Plotting: Benefits:

Structure: Plotting allows for a well-defined structure in your novel. You have a roadmap that guides you through the major plot points, helping maintain a logical and coherent storyline. Efficiency: Having a plan can make the writing process more efficient. You know where the story is heading, reducing the chances of getting stuck or experiencing writer's block. Foreshadowing: Plotting allows for effective foreshadowing. You can plant clues and hints earlier in the story that will pay off later, creating a more satisfying reading experience. Editing: Plotting can make the editing process smoother. Since you have a clear outline, it's easier to identify and fix any inconsistencies or structural issues. Drawbacks:

Rigidity: Some writers find plotting too restrictive. Following a predefined structure may stifle creativity and limit spontaneous ideas that could emerge during the writing process. Loss of Surprise: Knowing the major plot points in advance might reduce the element of surprise, both for the writer and potentially for the reader. Stress: Creating a detailed plot requires a significant upfront investment of time and effort. This can be stressful for some writers and may lead to burnout. Pantsing: Benefits:

Creativity: Pantsing allows for a more organic and creative writing process. Writers can explore unexpected ideas and let the story evolve naturally as they write. Surprises: Since the writer doesn't have a rigid outline, there is room for unexpected twists and turns, keeping the writing process exciting and surprising. Character Development: Characters may develop more authentically when the writer discovers their traits and motivations in the moment, rather than adhering strictly to a preconceived plan. Freedom: Pantsing provides a sense of freedom, allowing the writer to explore different narrative paths and experiment with the story's direction. Drawbacks:

Lack of Structure: One of the main drawbacks is the potential lack of structure. Without a clear plan, it's easier to meander or lose focus, resulting in a less cohesive narrative. Editing Challenges: Editing a pantsed manuscript can be challenging, as there may be inconsistencies and plot holes that need to be addressed during the revision process. Writer's Block: Writers who pants their novels may encounter writer's block more frequently, as they may not have a clear direction to overcome obstacles. Ultimately, the choice between plotting and pantsing depends on the writer's personal preference and writing style. Some authors even combine elements of both approaches, using a loose outline while allowing for flexibility during the writing process.

 

 

 

On this week's fireside chat, Doug and Hank talk about mistakes they made in their writing and publishing careers, and share some tips they with they'd known about earlier. Come join in!

Robyn Carr was a young mother of two in the mid-1970s when she started writing fiction, an Air Force wife, educated as a nurse, whose husband’s frequent assignment changes made it difficult for her to work in her profession. Originally from Minnesota, they lived in all four corners of Texas, Alabama, Florida, California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. Little did the aspiring novelist know then, as she wrote with babies on her lap, that she would become one of the world’s most popular authors of romance and women’s fiction, that 11 of her novels would earn the #1 berth on the New York Times bestselling books list.

Robyn’s A Virgin River Christmas scored her first New York Times success in 2008 and since then, the Las Vegas author’s novels have spent nearly 250 weeks on that prestigious list. Amazingly, sales of her books in digital and print have risen with each successive novel. Her 20-book Virgin River series alone has netted more than 13 million copies. That series’ sixteenth title, Bring Me Home for Christmas, scored the #1 slot not only on the New York Times list but on two others as well—Publishers Weekly and Barnes and Noble.

Proof of Robyn’s international popularity is also in the numbers. Robyn Carr titles have collectively sold over 27 million copies and have been translated into 19 languages in 30 countries.

As a sign of the significant contributions Robyn has made to the genre, the Romance Writers of America, the trade association representing 10,200 members who write romance and live in 35 countries, awarded Robyn the 2016 Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award.

“I discovered romance novels when doctors instructed me to stay down and keep my feet up during a complicated pregnancy,” Robyn said. “A neighbor brought me ten paperbacks a week to read. And I was hooked. I started to write them, but it wasn’t an easy ride. After critiquing my third manuscript at a writers’ conference, one novelist suggested I find something to do for which I had talent. Fortunately, I ignored her and persevered. I was first published in 1978, with an historical titled Chelynne, but it took me 30 years to score that first New York Times placement.”

In April 2016, What We Find debuted in hardcover for MIRA Books and launched Robyn’s new bestselling Sullivan’s Crossing series. Set in the heart of the beautiful Rocky Mountains, What We Find explores the healing powers of rural Colorado in a story of fresh starts, budding relationships and one woman’s journey to finding the happiness she’s long been missing. Any Day Now, Sullivan’s Crossing book #2, was a New York Times bestseller and reached #1 on the Publisher’s Weekly bestseller list. The Family Gathering, book #3, was a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller. Robyn’s women’s fiction novels also rank on bestseller lists. The New York Times and USA Today bestseller, The Life She Wants, October 2016, finds a woman humbly cleaning up after herself, paying her dues and rediscovering herself after poor decisions she made earlier in life. The Publisher’s Weekly bestseller, The Summer That Made Us, is a beautifully woven story about the complexities of family dynamics and the value of strong female relationships. All of Robyn’s books are about strong women

Next up for Robyn: Robyn is now living her dream of writing one stand-alone women’s fiction and one contemporary romance per year. The fourth Sullivan’s Crossing novel, The Best of Us debuted on the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists in Jan. 2019. The View from Alameda Island, Robyn’s 2019 women’s fiction novel is about a woman, on her twenty-fourth wedding anniversary, who decides to leave her perfect-on-the-outside-life.

Robyn has fallen in love with the beautiful Nevada desert and unrivaled spectacle of Las Vegas where she resides. Her children are grown—her son is an orthopedic surgeon; her daughter, a police captain. Robyn says that, in addition to reading her novels and making snide remarks about how she’s used family scenarios to her advantage, they have made her a happy grandmother.

So your protagonist has you feeling good, and you feel like their journey is solid, but what about the rest of the cast? No journey is a solitary one, and your protagonist is no different. How can he or she reach their potential without the help (or antics) of the folks around them? Join us this week as we look at the characters we choose to surround our protagonist with.

Adam Hamdy is a bestselling British author and screenwriter who works with studios and production companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Together with David Headley, Adam founded Capital Crime, one of the UK’s largest literary festivals. He teaches creative writing in the UK and US and is on the board of the International Thriller Writers Organization.   “I couldn’t stop thinking about the story’s incredible twist…like no crime novel I’ve ever read.” —James Patterson For fans of Matt Haig and Anthony Horowitz, an “intriguing and thought-provoking” (Liv Constantine, author of The Last Mrs. Parrish) novel in which the lives of a disgraced police officer, a prolific author, and an upstanding citizen are inextricably bound together by a series of mysterious deaths. The Other Side of Night begins with a man named David Asha writing about his biggest regret: his sudden separation from his son, Elliot. In his grief, David tells a story. Next, we step into the life of Harriet Kealty, a police officer trying to clear her name after a lapse of judgment. She discovers a curious inscription in a secondhand book—a plea: Help me, he’s trying to kill me. Who wrote this note? Who is “he”? This note leads Harri to David Asha, who was last seen stepping off a cliff. Police suspect he couldn’t cope after his wife’s sudden death. Still, why would this man jump and leave behind his young son? Quickly, Harri’s attention zeroes in on a person she knows all too well. Ben Elmys: once the love of her life. A surrogate father to Elliot Asha and trusted friend to the Ashas. Ben may also be a murderer.​ The Other Side of Night is a thought-provoking, moving “head-spinner of a novel” (John Connolly) with intriguing narratives and plot swerves that will leave you reeling. By the end, you’ll be shaken as each piece slots satisfyingly into place.

Multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is … mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning heartwarming and full of humor novels wherever books are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures. Her newest Sunrise Cove novel, THE SWEETHEART LIST, is out now.

Welcome to the Story Craft Café Podcast. If you're just joining us for the first time, we kicked off a challenge last week to Write A Novel With Dabble In 60 Days. This challenge encompasses the yearly NaNoWriMo Challenge, while also adding a planning month to the mix. Five writers are going through the process of developing an idea, making a fully formed plot and plan, then executing the writing of a first draft in 60 days. Last week Dabble CEO Jacob Wright joined our live weekly check-in to talk all about the plotting features in Dabble and to offer ideas to our group of intrepid writers. Listen in as we talk about the importance of a plan, and how you can use the power of Dabble to better plan out your project. Go to storycraft.cafe to signup for the challenge and join in the fun. 

Helene Wecker’s first novel, The Golem and the Jinni, was awarded the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature, the VCU Cabell Award for First Novel, and the Harold U. Ribalow Prize, and was nominated for a Nebula Award and a World Fantasy Award. A Midwest native, she holds a B.A. in English from Carleton College and an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from Columbia University. Her work has appeared in literary journals such as Joyland and Catamaran, as well as the fantasy anthology The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and children.

The Hidden Palace: A Novel of the Golem and the Jinni

"Richly nuanced and beautiful. . . . An immersive and magical tale of loneliness, love, and finding hope.” (Buzzfeed)

“A layered novel of many complex characters…To keep their worlds safe, Chava and Ahmad must access both their greatest supernatural powers and their deepest human impulses.” (Historical Novels Review)

In this enthralling historical epic, set in New York City and the Middle East in the years leading to World War I— the long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Golem and the Jinni—Helene Wecker revisits her beloved characters Chava and Ahmad as they confront unexpected new challenges in a rapidly changing human world.

Chava is a golem, a woman made of clay, who can hear the thoughts and longings of those around her and feels compelled by her nature to help them. Ahmad is a jinni, a restless creature of fire, once free to roam the desert but now imprisoned in the shape of a man. Fearing they’ll be exposed as monsters, these magical beings hide their true selves and try to pass as human—just two more immigrants in the bustling world of 1900s Manhattan. Brought together under calamitous circumstances, their lives are now entwined—but they’re not yet certain of what they mean to each other.

Both Chava and Ahmad have changed the lives of the people around them. Park Avenue heiress Sophia Winston, whose brief encounter with Ahmad left her with a strange illness that makes her shiver with cold, travels to the Middle East to seek a cure. There she meets Dima, a tempestuous female jinni who’s been banished from her tribe. Back in New York, in a tenement on the Lower East Side, a little girl named Kreindel helps her rabbi father build a golem they name Yossele—not knowing that she’s about to be sent to an orphanage uptown, where the hulking Yossele will become her only friend and protector.

Spanning the tumultuous years from the turn of the twentieth century to the beginning of World War I, The Hidden Palace follows these lives and others as they collide and interleave. Can Chava and Ahmad find their places in the human world while remaining true to each other? Or will their opposing natures and desires eventually tear them apart—especially once they encounter, thrillingly, other beings like themselves?

Welcome to the story craft cafe podcast. We're continuing our monthlong celebration of romance that we're calling #KissTember. Today we have husband and wife duo Jasinda and Jack Wilder and we talk about the ups and downs of the writing life, understanding your audience and delivering what that audience has come to love from your writing, the changing market and how publishing has changed over the last decade and so much more.

Later this month we are kicking off something that I know you are going to love. We call it the writer a novel in 60 days with Dabble Challenge. A group of writers from all across the genre spectrum will join together to each write a novel in 60 days. It's going to be challenging, but it's going to be epic. We will have weekly check-ins where we report about our progress and share our frustrations and successes. We hope you'll join with us. We'll share more about this as we get closer. Now onto our interview with the Wilders. Thanks for listening. 

JasindaWilder.com

Enchanted to Meet You: A Witches of West Harbor Novel The Princess Diaries

Meg Cabot is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of books for both adults and tweens/teens. Born in the year of the Fire Horse (a notoriously unlucky astrological sign) and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, Meg also lived in Grenoble, France and Carmel, California (the setting for her bestselling Mediator series) before moving to New York City after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Indiana University.

After working for ten years as an assistant residence hall director at New York University (an experience from which she occasionally draws inspiration for her best-selling Heather Wells mystery series), Meg wrote the Princess Diaries series, which was made into two hit movies by Disney. While over 25 million copies of Meg’s nearly 80 published books have been sold in 38 countries, Meg’s most proud of the letters she’s received from fans thanking her for helping them to overcome their “dislike of reading.”

Some of Meg’s fan favorites include the 1-800-Where-R-You? series (which has been reprinted under the title Vanished and was made into the Lifetime series called Missing), as well as All-American Girl and Avalon High (on which an original Disney Channel movie was based), and several books told entirely in emails and text messages (Boy Next Door/Boy Meets Girl/Every Boy’s Got One). A fourth book told in this format, The Boy is Back, was published by HarperCollins in 2017.

Meg’s first ever adult book in the Princess Diaries series, Royal Wedding, was published in 2015, along with a new Princess Diaries series for younger readers, From the Notebook of a Middle School Princess, which Meg also illustrated. The 4th book in the Middle School Princess Series, Royal Crown, was published in August of 2018, as well as paperback editions of the 2nd and 3rd editions series.

Remembrance, the 7th and first adult book in the Mediator series, became available in 2016, along with a novella titled Proposal. In 2020, Meg signed a franchise deal with Netflix for screen rights to The Mediator series, along with writer/director Sarah Spillane and media powerhouse Debra Martin Chase.

In 2019, Meg authored a Black Canary graphic novel for DC Zoom for middle-grade readers with illustrator Cara McGee, and also launched a new adult contemporary series set on the fictional Little Bridge Island in the Florida Keys. While each book in the series focuses on a different couple and their sometimes humorous, sometimes serious struggles, all guarantee a Happily Ever After (with plenty of sunshine and margaritas). The latest, No Words, debuted in September 2021.

And finally, Meg has written Quarantine Princess Diaries, a new novel for adults in The Princess Diaries series, was released in March of 2023! 10% of Meg’s proceeds from the sale of this book will go to real life royal Princess Mabel van Oranje of the Netherlands’ charity to end child marriage www.vowforgirls.org. 

Meg Cabot (her last name rhymes with habit, as in “her books can be habit forming”) currently lives in Key West, Florida with her husband and various cats. If you see her husband, please do not tell him that he married a fire horse, as he has not figured it out yet.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Lover of fairytales, folklore, and mythology, Ines Johnson spends her days reimagining the stories of old in a modern world. She writes books where damsels cause the distress, princesses wield swords, and moms save the world.

Ines writes books for strong women who suck at love. If you rocked out to the twisted triangle of Jem, Jericha, and Rio as a girl; if you were slayed by vampires with souls alongside Buffy; if you need your scandalous fix from Olivia Pope each week, then you’ll love her books!

Aside from being a writer, professional reader, and teacher, Ines is a very bad Buddhist. She sits in sangha each week, and while others are meditating and getting their zen on, she’s contemplating how to use the teachings to strengthen her plots and character motivations.

Ines lives outside Washington, DC with her two little sidekicks who are growing up way too fast.

https://ineswrites.com/

 

Randy Ingermanson is the author of six novels and three bestselling books on how to write fiction. He is known around the world as “the Snowflake Guy” in honor of his wildly popular Snowflake method of designing a novel. Randy has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of California at Berkeley and still works half-time as a scientist for a biotechnology company in San Diego. He publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with zillions of subscribers. Randy lives in southern Washington state with his beautiful, smart, and longsuffering wife. Also three surly cats. Visit his web site at http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com

Christopher was homeschooled by his parents. As a child, he often wrote short stories and poems, made frequent trips to the library, and read widely. Some of his favorite books were Bruce Coville’s Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Frank Herbert’s Dune, and Raymond E. Feist’s Magician (now available in volumes one and two), as well as books by Anne McCaffrey, Jane Yolen, Brian Jacques, E.R. Eddison, David Eddings, and Ursula K. Le Guin.

The idea of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher’s love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby, a personal challenge; he never intended it to be published. Before he began writing Eragon, he plotted out the entire adventure. He found that doing some of the same things as his characters allowed him to better understand their world, as well as to think of descriptions that otherwise would not have occured to him. To this end he forged his own knives and swords, made chain mail, spun wool, camped in the Beartooth Mountains, made his own bow, built survival shelters, learned to track game, fletched arrows, felled trees, hiked, and camped. In short, the books embody a great deal of his experience of living in Montana.

His work also combined elements gathered from research and from his imagination. He read a huge amount of folklore while growing up, ranging from the Brothers Grimm to Beowulf, Nordic sagas, and the Aeneid, along with contemporary fantasy and science fiction. In addition, he learned about weaponry, food, clothing, and customs from the Middle Ages, which is roughly the era he envisioned Eragon living in. Armed with that information, he daydreamed the scenes with his characters. Then he took pen to paper and tried to recreate those images with words.

Christopher was fifteen when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book, and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and spent a third year preparing the manuscript for publication: copyediting, proofreading, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye for the book cover (which now appears inside the Knopf hardcover edition). The manuscript was sent to press and the first books arrived in November 2001. The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003.

Michael La Ronn is one of the most prolific authors I know. He is also one of the most giving authors I know. He not only works a full time job, enjoys family life with his wife and daughter, maintains a popular YouTube Channel, he also has written and published over 80 books of fiction and non-fiction alike. 

In this first of two episodes with Michael, we talk about how a near death experience acted as a catalyst for him to pursue his dream of writing. We talked about the differences in the publishing landscape over the last decade and how he now views the idea of indie publishing as an empowering force for authors. 

Join us tomorrow as we do a deep dive with Michael into character development, especially for sci fi and fantasy.

https://www.michaellaronn.com/

https://authorlevelup.com/

 

TAYLOR BROWN grew up on the Georgia coast.  His work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including The New York Times, The Rumpus, Garden & Gun, Chautauqua, The North Carolina Literary Review, and many others. He is the recipient of a Montana Prize in Fiction, a three-time finalist for the Southern Book Prize, and was named the 2021 Georgia Author of the Year. He’s also been a finalist for the Press 53 Open Awards, Machigonne Fiction Contest, Wabash Prize in Fiction, Rick DeMarinis Short Story Contest, Dahany Fiction Prize, and Doris Betts Fiction Prize.  He is the author of a short story collection, In the Season of Blood and Gold (Press 53, 2014), as well as five novels:  Fallen Land (St. Martin’s Press, 2016), The River of Kings (St. Martin’s Press, 2017), Gods of Howl Mountain (St. Martin’s Press, 2018), Pride of Eden (St. Martin’s Press, 2020), and Wingwalkers (St. Martin’s Press, 2022).  Taylor, an Eagle Scout, graduated from the University of Georgia in 2005.  He’s settled in Savannah, Georgia, after long stints in Buenos Aires, San Francisco, and the mountains and coasts of North Carolina.  He is the editor-in-chief of BikeBound.com, and he likes old motorcycles, thunderstorms, and dogs with beards.

A former WWI ace pilot and his wingwalker wife barnstorm across Depression-era America, performing acts of aerial daring. “They were over Georgia somewhere, another nameless hamlet whose dusty streets lay flocked and trembling with the pink handbills they’d rained from the sky that morning, the ones that announced the coming of DELLA THE DARING DEVILETTE, who would DEFY THE HEAVENS, shining like a DAYTIME STAR, a WING-WALKING WONDER borne upon the wings of CAPTAIN ZENO MARIGOLD, a DOUBLE ACE of the GREAT WAR, who had ELEVEN AERIAL VICTORIES over the TRENCHES OF FRANCE.” Wingwalkers is one-part epic adventure, one-part love story, and, as is the signature for critically-acclaimed author Taylor Brown, one large part American history. The novel braids the adventures of Della and Zeno Marigold, a vagabond couple that funds their journey to the west coast in the middle of the Great Depression by performing death-defying aerial stunts from town to town, together with the life of the author (and thwarted fighter pilot) William Faulkner, whom the couple ultimately inspires during a dramatic air show—with unexpected consequences for all. Brown has taken a tantalizing tidbit from Faulkner’s real life—an evening's chance encounter with two daredevils in New Orleans—and set it aloft in this fabulous novel. With scintillating prose and an action-packed plot, he has captured the true essence of a bygone era and shed a new light on the heart and motivations of one of America's greatest authors.

In our second week of exploring plot, we look at how to ensure that the action rises and falls in a way that will keep your readers on the edge of their seats. Does your plot serve the story in a meaningful way? Let's talk about it.

Amazon All Star Author Tonya Kappes has written more than 175 southern cozy mysteries, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and Woman's World Book Club pick twice . Best known for stories charged with southern charm, emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband in northern Kentucky. Now that her four boys have flown out of the nest, Tonya writes full-time in her camper!

You can find her all over social media and at Tonyakappes.com.

This book is a hands-on manual for crafting your story, and we hope you enjoy working through it.    This book has been split into two distinct parts to help you in your writing journey. Part One is all about the things you should be doing before you even get started on a draft or an outline. In this first part, I’m going to be covering the foundational knowledge of a book: what a book is, figuring out your genre and subgenre, and more. I’ll also be talking about the mindset of a writer, what you need to write your book, and where you’ll be writing. Finally, I’ll wrap up Part One with the basics of plotting and planning. Just the idea of planning might make some of you groan, so chill out for a second, because I have ways of outlining and structuring for those who love to plan and those who absolutely hate it.    Part Two is where we get to the good stuff: writing your first draft. I’ll go over the key elements of a kickass book, as well as the more technical stuff like point of view, active and passive voice, and more. Together we’ll do a deep dive into what it takes to make the perfect plot, compelling characters, and tantalizing themes. And I’ll even help you out with ways to actually get your book written (again, it’s a long, sometimes difficult journey) and what to do when you encounter setbacks like the dreaded writer’s block. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds.  

Welcome to the Story Craft Café Podcast. If you're just joining us for the first time, we kicked off a challenge a couple of weeks ago to Write A Novel With Dabble In 60 Days. This challenge encompasses the yearly NaNoWriMo Challenge, while also adding a planning month to the mix. Five writers are going through the process of developing an idea, making a fully formed plot and plan, then executing the writing of a first draft in 60 days. 

Last week we talked about characters. We know that characters drive your story through their own accomplishments and the way they do, or do not, handle plot devices you throw their way, but what about /where/ your story is set? Have you ever heard the term "place as character"? Well, in today's show we talk about it. 

Join us as we look at what makes a great setting and how you can use that setting to set your story apart from the rest.

Go to storycraft.cafe to join in the challenge. We'd love to have you!

Try Not to Breathe

Join us at our YouTube channel to join in LIVE for upcoming author interviews! 

https://tinyurl.com/dabbleyoutube

David Bell burst onto the scene in 2011 with his first (now beloved) novel Cemetery Girl, which won the Prix Polar International de Cognac, a prestigious award for crime writing and has continued to publish some of the most well-received thrillers in the genre. His 2021 novel Kill Your Darlings was nominated for the illustrious Edgar Award. Praised by fellow thriller authors such as May Cobb, Liv Constantine, and Samantha Downing, David Bell is the go-to thriller writer for gripping domestic suspense.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

The Glow: A Novel

A desperate young publicist tries to save her career by turning the charismatic leader of a grungy retreat center into the hot new self-care brand in this “wildly funny, laser-eyed” (Michael Cunningham) debut novel.

Jane Dorner has two modes: PR Jane, twenty-five, chummy, and eager to sell you a feminist vibrator or a self-care/bereavement subscription box; and Actual Jane, twenty-nine, drifting through mediocre workdays and lackluster dates while paralyzed by her crushing mountain of overdue medical bills. When her job performance is called into question, Jane’s last-ditch effort to preserve her livelihood and pay off her debt is to land a white whale of a client.

Enter the impossibly gorgeous Cass—whom Jane discovers scrolling through Instagram—and her unassuming husband, Tom—proprietors of a “wellness retreat” based out of a ramshackle country house that may or may not be giving off cult vibes. Suddenly Jane realizes she might have found the one ladder she can climb—if she can convince them that transforming Cass herself into a high-end wellness brand is the key to all three of their futures. Magnetic yet mysterious, Cass is primed to be an influencer: She speaks in a mix of inspirational quotes and Zen koans, eats only zucchini (the most spiritually nourishing vegetable), and has baby-perfect skin. Despite Tom’s reticence about selling out, Jane sets out to mold Cass into the kind of guru who can offer inner peace and make your skin glow—all at a hefty price, of course. As Jane reckons with her own long-dormant ambitions, she wonders: Can a person really “do good” for others while profiting off them? And what parts of our selves do we lose when we trade power, influence, and beauty?

Sparklingly plotted, deliciously deadpan, and irresistibly entertaining, THE GLOW is a razor-sharp sendup of an industry built on the peculiar intersection of money and wellness, where health is a commodity and self-care a luxury.   ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jessie Gaynor’s work has appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The New Yorker, WSJ Magazine, and elsewhere. She is a senior editor at Literary Hub and she has an MFA in poetry from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Rona Jaffe fellow. Jessie Gaynor lives in Richmond, Virginia with her family.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

When reading back over that first draft what happens when you encounter that dreaded plot hole. Pin sized plot holes are one thing, and hopefully easily resolved, but what happens when you could fly a 747 through the center of your plot? 

Brian McClellan is an American epic fantasy author from Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his acclaimed Powder Mage Universe and essays on the life and business of being a writer.

Brian now lives on the side of a mountain in Utah with his wife, Michele, where he writes books and nurses a crippling video game addiction.

Brian's novels include the Powder Mage Trilogy (Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic), Gods of Blood and Powder (Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire, and Blood of Empire), and the Valkyrie Collections (Uncanny Collateral and Blood Tally).

From Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage trilogy, comes the first novel in the Glass Immortals series, In the Shadow of Lightning, an epic fantasy where magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out. "Excellent worldbuilding and a truly epic narrative combine into Brian's finest work to date. Heartily recommended to anyone who wants a new favorite fantasy series to read."—Brandon Sanderson Demir Grappo is an outcast—he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed: the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out. Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it. "Powerful rival families, murderous conspiracies, epic battles, larger-than-life characters, and magic."—Fonda Lee, author of The Green Bone Saga "Engaging, fast-paced and epic."—James Islington, author of In The Shadow of What Was Lost "Clever, fun, and by turns beautifully bloody, In the Shadow of Lightning hits like a bolt through a stained glass window."—Megan E. O'Keefe, author of Chaos Vector

Today we celebrate the launch of The Story Craft Cafe'. Christopher Paolini drops by to help us celebrate the launch and to talk about the importance of community and to talk about his meteoric rise in the Fantasy and Science Fiction world. 

Now a New York Times and USA Today bestseller! Winner of Best Science Fiction in the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards! To Sleep in a Sea of Stars is a brand new epic novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eragon, Christopher Paolini. Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds. Now she's awakened a nightmare. During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move. As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn't at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human. While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity's greatest and final hope . . .

Christopher Paolini is the author of the international bestsellers Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance, as well as The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm. His debut science fiction novel, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, will be available on September 15, 2020. He resides in Paradise Valley, Montana, USA.

Doom Guy: Life in First Person

Join us at our YouTube channel to join in LIVE for upcoming author interviews! 

https://tinyurl.com/dabbleyoutube

The inspiring autobiography of video game designer and DOOM cocreator John Romero

Doom Guy: Life in First Person is the long-awaited autobiography of gaming’s original rock star and the cocreator of DOOM, Quake, and Wolfenstein—some of the most recognizable and important titles in video game history. Credited with the invention of the first-person shooter, a genre that continues to dominate the market today, he is gaming royalty.

Told in remarkable detail, a byproduct of his hyperthymesia, Romero recounts his storied career—from his early days submitting Apple II code to computer magazines and sneaking computers out of the back door of his day job to do programming projects at night in his garage to a high-profile falling out with his id Software cofounder John Carmack, as well as his continued role in the gaming industry today as the managing director of Romero Games Ltd.

His story is truly one of a self-made man, founding multiple companies after a childhood filled with violence and abuse drove him to video game design where he could create new worlds and places to escape to. An alcoholic father, a racist grandfather who did not approve of Romero’s parents’ mixed-race coupling, and a grandmother who once ran a brothel in Mexico combine for an illuminating story of his youth—a story that has never before been revealed.

After years in the gaming spotlight, Romero is now telling his story—the whole story—in his own words.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

After an unsuccessful career in radio, and a middling-successful career as a stand-up comic, Scott Meyer found himself middle aged, working as a ride operator at Walt Disney World.

In his spare time, he produced the successful web comic Basic Instructions. He slowly built a following of fans all over the world, to whom he sold his first self-published novel, Off to Be the Wizard. The book’s success brought him a publishing deal. He has since gone on to write several bestselling novels.

Scott lives in Portugal with his wife and the prettiest two cats on earth.

In our second week of rewriting we are going to take a hard look at the characters that we've invited into our stories. Are these characters all we had hoped they could be? Do they move the plot forward and add emotional depth to our tale? Are we as writers giving our characters the best shot at success that we can? We're going to dig into it this week as we stand back and take an objective look at the characters we have created.

Welcome to the Story Craft Café Podcast. If you're just joining us for the first time, we kicked off a challenge a couple of weeks ago to Write A Novel With Dabble In 60 Days. This challenge encompasses the yearly NaNoWriMo Challenge, while also adding a planning month to the mix. Five writers are going through the process of developing an idea, making a fully formed plot and plan, then executing the writing of a first draft in 60 days. Last week we talked about characters. You can have a brilliant plot idea, a stellar setting, and amazingly grand ideas, but without characters that readers can relate to and ultimately root for, you don't have much that will keep readers engaged. Join us as we look at what makes characters who they are, and what character traits can add to your story.

Sweeten the Deal

Katie Shepard is, in no particular order, a fangirl, a gamer, a bankruptcy lawyer, and a romance author. Born and raised in Texas, she frequently escapes to Montana to commune with the trees and woodland creatures, resembling a Disney princess in all ways except age, appearance, and musical ability. When not writing or making white-collar criminals cry at their depositions, she enjoys playing video games in her soft pants and watching sci-fi shows with her husband, two children, and very devoted cat.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Audiobooks are the fastest growth market in publishing. If you are not taking advantage of this market, you could be leaving readers unreached, and who wants that? Join me today as I welcome authors Jaime Castle and Rhett Bruno, as well as voice actor extraordinaire Roger Clark as they talk about the process of taking a story from the page to your earbuds. 

In the West, there are worse things to fear than bandits and outlaws.

Demons. Monsters. Witches. James Crowley’s sacred duty as a Black Badge is to hunt them down and send them packing, banish them from the mortal realm for good.

He didn’t choose this life. No. He didn’t choose life at all.

Shot dead in a gunfight many years ago, now he’s stuck in purgatory, serving the whims of the White Throne to avoid falling to Hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his penance and fade away.

This time, the White Throne has sent him to investigate a strange bank robbery in Lonely Hill. An outlaw with the ability to conjure ice has frozen and shattered open the bank vault and is now on a spree, robbing the region for all it’s worth.

In his quest to track down the ice-wielder and suss out which demon is behind granting a mortal such power, Crowley finds himself face-to-face with hellish beasts, shapeshifters, and, worse…temptation. But the truth behind the attacks is worse than he ever imagined.…

The Witcher meets The Dresden Files in this weird Western series by the Audible number one bestselling duo behind Dead Acre.

Welcome to the Story Craft Café podcast. Today we get to spend some time with Jean Kwok, author of the instant New York Times bestseller Searching For Sylvie Lee. Jean has a short story in the brand new collection of stories called Marple: Twelve New Miss Marple Mysteries, celebrating the life and work of Agatha Christy. In this episode we talk all about Jean's creative process, why planning and outlining are so important to her work, writing mysteries, channeling the voice of Agatha Christy and Miss Marple, and getting to contribute to a collection such as this. This show is chock full of advice from a writer that is in the thick of it right now, and at the top of her game. 

We talked with Jean about the upcoming Write A Novel In 60 Days With Dabble challenge, and Jean offered some sage advice for writers that are trying this daring challenge. If you would like to join in the challenge and write your dream with a community of like minded writers at your side, go over to storycraft.cafe and sign up. Thanks for listening. 

https://www.jeankwok.com/

Read any how-to book on writing and you'll get that author's ideas about what makes the perfect story. Pick up another guide and you might find information that contradicts what the first author told you. Who's right? Aren't the rules of storytelling set in stone? The answer is a firm "sometimes". On this week's episode we're going to talk about the rules of story telling and knowing when and how to break them if necessary.

Dan Kenney is one of the most prolific authors I know. He publishes middle grade books under the name Daniel Kenney, and he also writes cozy mysteries for adults under the name Daniel Carson.

Daniel lives in Nebraska with his wife and their perfect adoring children who have never ever misbehaved. Not once. His days are a mixture of . . . teaching, cooking, driving, more cooking, lots more driving, cleaning and more driving. So much driving. When the children finally go to bed, Daniel writes stories.

Five Star Praise For The Hope Walker Mysteries " -"I really think this series and each book has the perfect mix of humor, mystery, real life, and suspense." -"I love this series. Carson has me guessing the whole time!" -"This book is every bit as good as the first! I can't get enough of Hope and the rest of the gang. An engaging plot, and laugh out loud humor make it difficult to put this book down." -"I absolutely enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. It had everything I look forward to in a mystery and once started I couldn't put it down." The Hope Walker Mysteries SEASON ONE - Book One: A Hopeless Murder - Book Two: A Hopeless Heist - Book Three: A Hopeless Discovery - Book Four: A Hopeless Game - Book Five: A Hopeless Christmas SEASON TWO - Book Six: A Hopeless Journey - Book Seven: A Hopeless Valentine - Book Eight: A Hopeless Queen - Book Nine: A Hopeless Sheriff - Book Ten: A Hopeless Storm SEASON THREE - Book Eleven: A Hopeless Spring

TERRY BROOKS was born in Illinois in 1944. He spent a great deal of his childhood  and early adulthood dreaming up stories in and around Sinnissippi Park,  the very same setting for Running with the Demon. He received  his undergraduate degree from Hamilton College, where he majored in  English Literature, and went on to earn his graduate degree from the  School of Law at Washington & Lee University.

A writer since high school and heavily influenced by William Faulkner, it took him seven years to finish writing The Sword of Shannara, which published in 1977. It became the first work of fiction to ever appear on the New York Times trade paperback bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.

He published The Elfstones of Shannara in 1982 and The Wishsong of Shannara in 1985, both bestsellers.

Since that time, he has written numerous novels in the Shannara,  Landover, Word/Void, and Viridian Deep series, including being hand-selected by George  Lucas to write the novelization of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, which hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

Terry Brooks lives with his wife Judine in the Pacific Northwest and on the road meeting his fans.

SOMETIMES THE MAGIC WORKS To read an autobiography of Terry Brooks, please discover his memoir and writing guide, Sometimes the Magic Works.

Fiona Barton's debut, The Widow, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller and has been published in 36 countries and optioned for television. Her second novel, The Child, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Born in Cambridge, Fiona currently lives in Sussex and south-west France.

Previously, she was a senior writer at the Daily Mail, news editor at the Daily Telegraph, and chief reporter at the Mail on Sunday, where she won Reporter of the Year at the British Press Awards.

While working as a journalist, Fiona reported on many high-profile criminal cases and she developed a fascination with watching those involved, their body language and verbal tics. Fiona interviewed people at the heart of these crimes, from the guilty to their families, as well as those on the periphery, and found it was those just outside the spotlight who interested her most.

Local Gone Missing

Detective Elise King investigates a man’s disappearance in a seaside town where the locals and weekenders are at odds in this rich and captivating new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow. Elise King is a successful and ambitious detective—or she was before a medical leave left her unsure if she'd ever return to work. She now spends most days watching the growing tensions in her small seaside town of Ebbing—the weekenders renovating old bungalows into luxury homes, and the locals resentful of the changes.    Elise can only guess what really happens behind closed doors. But Dee Eastwood, her house cleaner, often knows. She’s an invisible presence in many of the houses in town, but she sees and hears everything.    The conflicts boil over when a newcomer wants to put the town on the map with a weekend music festival, and two teenagers overdose on drugs. When a man disappears the first night of the festival, Elise starts digging for answers. Ebbing is a small town, but it's full of secrets and hidden connections that run deeper and darker than Elise could have ever imagined.    "Barton presents such an embarrassment of riches. . . .Layers and layers of unlovely revelations about people who seemed perfectly nice."         --Kirkus Reviews "A captivating read. A first-grade suspense novel and highly recommended." --MysteryTribune

The Oceans and the Stars: A Sea Story, A War Story, A Love Story (A Novel)

Mark Helprin belongs to no literary school, movement, tendency, or trend. As many have observed, and as Time Magazine has phrased it, “He lights his own way.” His three collections of short stories (A Dove of the East and Other Stories, Ellis Island and Other Stories, and The Pacific and Other Stories), seven novels (Refiner’s Fire, Winter’s Tale, A Soldier of the Great War, Memoir From Antproof Case, Freddy and Fredericka, In Sunlight and In Shadow, and Paris in the Present Tense), and three children’s books (Swan Lake, A City in Winter, and The Veil of Snows, all illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg), speak eloquently for themselves and are remarkable throughout, for the sustained beauty and power of their language. Helprin’s academic training, military service, decades of journalism, and involvement in politics and statesmanship as an obligation of citizenship, although secondary at best, have gained some attention nonetheless.

Translated into a score of languages, his books include A Dove of the East & Other Stories, Refiner’s Fire, Ellis Island & Other Stories, Winter’s Tale, Swan Lake (with illustrations by Chris Van Allsburg), A Soldier of the Great War, Memoir from Antproof Case, A City in Winter, and The Veil of Snows (both with illustrations by Chris Van Allsburg), The Pacific & Other Stories, Freddy and Fredericka, Digital Barbarism, In Sunlight and in Shadow, A Kingdom Far and Clear, and Paris in the Present Tense.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

This book is a hands-on manual for crafting your story, and we hope you enjoy working through it.    This book has been split into two distinct parts to help you in your writing journey. Part One is all about the things you should be doing before you even get started on a draft or an outline. In this first part, I’m going to be covering the foundational knowledge of a book: what a book is, figuring out your genre and subgenre, and more. I’ll also be talking about the mindset of a writer, what you need to write your book, and where you’ll be writing. Finally, I’ll wrap up Part One with the basics of plotting and planning. Just the idea of planning might make some of you groan, so chill out for a second, because I have ways of outlining and structuring for those who love to plan and those who absolutely hate it.    Part Two is where we get to the good stuff: writing your first draft. I’ll go over the key elements of a kickass book, as well as the more technical stuff like point of view, active and passive voice, and more. Together we’ll do a deep dive into what it takes to make the perfect plot, compelling characters, and tantalizing themes. And I’ll even help you out with ways to actually get your book written (again, it’s a long, sometimes difficult journey) and what to do when you encounter setbacks like the dreaded writer’s block. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds.

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with his two golden retrievers, Echo and Duncan. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins, the latest riveting, deeply imaginative thriller in the Sigma Force series, told with his trademark blend of cutting-edge science, historical mystery, and pulse-pounding action.

It begins in Africa . . .

A United Nations relief team in a small village in the Congo makes an alarming discovery. An unknown force is leveling the evolutionary playing field. Men, women, and children have been reduced to a dull, catatonic state. The environment surrounding them—plants and animals—has grown more cunning and predatory, evolving at an exponential pace. The insidious phenomenon is spreading from a cursed site in the jungle — known to locals as the Kingdom of Bones —and sweeping across Africa, threatening the rest of the world.

What has made the biosphere run amok? Is it a natural event? Or more terrifyingly, did someone engineer it?

Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force are prepared for the extraordinary and have kept the world safe, vigilance for which they have paid a tragic personal price. Yet, even these brilliant and seasoned scientific warriors do not understand what is behind this frightening development—or know how to stop it. As they race to find answers, the members of Sigma quickly realize they have become the prey.

To head off global catastrophe, Sigma Force must risk their lives to uncover the shattering secret at the heart of the African continent—a truth that will illuminate who we are as a species and where we may be headed . . . sooner than we know.

Mother Nature—red in tooth and claw—is turning against humankind, propelling the entire world into the Kingdom of Bones.

Salthouse Place: A Novel 

Jamie Lee Sogn is a Filipina American author of adult thriller novels. She grew up in Olympia, Washington, studied Anthropology and Psychology at the University of Washington and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Oregon School of Law. 

She is a "recovering attorney" who writes contracts by day and (much more exciting) fiction by night. While she has lived in Los Angeles, New York City, and even Eugene, Oregon, she now lives in Seattle with her husband, son, and Boston Terrier. 

Learn more about her debut novel, Salthouse Place, on her website at www.jamieleesogn.com.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

The Levee

Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He’s been married for nearly fifty years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.

Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last nine novels were all New York Times bestsellers.

Ordinary Grace, his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. The companion novel, This Tender Land, was published in September 2019 and spent nearly six months on the New York Times bestseller list.

John Searles is the best-selling author of the novels Her Last Affair, Help for the Haunted, Strange but True and Boy Still Missing. 

Hailed as “riveting” by The New York Times and “hypnotic” by Entertainment Weekly, Boy Still Missing inspired Time magazine to name him a “Person to Watch,” and the New York Daily News to name him a “New Yorker to Watch.” His second novel, Strange but True was praised as “sinister and complex” by Janet Maslin of The New York Times, “extraordinary” by Publishers Weekly, and was named best novel of the year by Salon. Help for the Haunted was named a Boston Globe Best Crime Novel of the Year, an Entertainment Weekly Top 10 Must List, and won the American Library Association’s Alex Award. John's most recent novel, Her Last Affair, was named a Best New Book by People magazine and praised as "a tense, intricately woven tale of heartbreak, retribution and redemption" by Publishers Weekly and "a twisted thriller that explores despair and loneliness with cinematic flair" by Kirkus Reviews.

In 2019, Strange But True was adapted for film by the producers of La La Land and released in theaters nationwide by Lionsgate. Now streaming on HBOMax and Amazon Prime, the film stars the award-winning ensemble cast of Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Brian Cox, Blythe Danner, Nick Robinson and Margaret Qualley. The movie was praised as “suspenseful and haunting” by The Hollywood Reporter and “a twisty tale of tragic secrets” by the Los Angeles Times. 

John has appeared regularly on morning programs like NBC’s Today Show, CBS This Morning, Live! With Regis & Kelly, NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross and CNN to discuss his books. 

For 23 years, John was the books editor of Cosmopolitan, also serving as the magazine’s brand director, executive editor, and editor-at-large.  His personal and travel essays, book and restaurant reviews have been published in the New York Times, Washington Post and numerous other magazines, newspapers and websites. He has a master's degree in creative writing from New York University and lives in New York.

This book is a hands-on manual for crafting your story, and we hope you enjoy working through it.    This book has been split into two distinct parts to help you in your writing journey. Part One is all about the things you should be doing before you even get started on a draft or an outline. In this first part, I’m going to be covering the foundational knowledge of a book: what a book is, figuring out your genre and subgenre, and more. I’ll also be talking about the mindset of a writer, what you need to write your book, and where you’ll be writing. Finally, I’ll wrap up Part One with the basics of plotting and planning. Just the idea of planning might make some of you groan, so chill out for a second, because I have ways of outlining and structuring for those who love to plan and those who absolutely hate it.    Part Two is where we get to the good stuff: writing your first draft. I’ll go over the key elements of a kickass book, as well as the more technical stuff like point of view, active and passive voice, and more. Together we’ll do a deep dive into what it takes to make the perfect plot, compelling characters, and tantalizing themes. And I’ll even help you out with ways to actually get your book written (again, it’s a long, sometimes difficult journey) and what to do when you encounter setbacks like the dreaded writer’s block. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds.

The September House

Carissa Orlando has a doctorate in clinical-community psychology and specializes in work with children and adolescents. In her “day job,” Carissa works to improve the quality of and access to mental health care for children and their families. Prior to her career in psychology, Carissa studied creative writing in college and has written creatively in some form since she was a child. It was only a matter of time before Carissa, an avid horror fan for much of her life, merged her understanding of the human psyche and deep love for storytelling into a piece of fiction.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Burnout among authors is not only real, it can affect you many times throughout your author journey. It's a sneaky little monster that can completely destroy your love and passion for your current story or writing in general.

In this Fireside Chat, Hank and Doug talk about what burnout is, when we've experienced it, and what you can do to prevent it or minimize its impact.

Camille Pagán is the Amazon Charts, Washington Post, and #1 Kindle bestselling author of "witty and delightful" novels (Library Journal) about life's what-ifs. Her books have been translated into twenty languages, and her second novel, Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, has been optioned for film by Jessica Chastain's Freckle Films. A journalist and former magazine editor, her work has appeared in Fast Company, Forbes, The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Parade, Real Simple, Time, and many others. Visit her at www.camillepagan.com.  

The Island of Lost Girls: A Novel

Alex Marwood is the pseudonym of a former journalist who has worked extensively in the British press. She is the author of the word-of-mouth sensation The Wicked Girls, which won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original; The Killer Next Door, which won a Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel; The Darkest Secret; and The Poison Garden. Her novels have been shortlisted for numerous crime writing awards and been optioned for the screen. She lives in south London.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

The Longmire Defense: A Longmire Mystery

Craig Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire mysteries, the basis for the hit Netflix original series Longmire. He is the recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction and the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association's Reading the West Book Award for fiction. His novella Spirit of Steamboat was the first One Book Wyoming selection. He lives in Ucross, Wyoming, population 26.

Walt Longmire faces one of his most challenging crime scenes as he tries to reckon with the revelations of his last case where he confronted the ghosts of his past and questioned the very nature of justice and mercy in the hard country of the West.

Deep in the heart of the Wyoming countryside, Sheriff of Absaroka County, Walt Longmire, is called to a crime scene like few others that he has seen.  This crime brings up issues that go back to Walt’s grandfather’s time in Wyoming, as the revelations he learns about his grandfather come back to offer clues and motives for Walt’s investigation.  Filled with back-country action, and with the great cast of characters that readers have come to love with the Longmire series, this new book will be sure to satisfy both long-time readers and those new to the series.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Forgotten War (A Matt Drake Novel Book 4)

Don Bentley is the New York Times Bestselling author of the Matt Drake thriller series including Hostile Intent, The Outside Man, and Without Sanction as well as one forthcoming title. Don also writes in the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. universe with Zero Hour, Target Acquired, and one forthcoming title.

Don spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot during which time he was stationed in South Korea, Germany, and Texas. While deployed to Afghanistan as a Troop Commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VI, Don was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with “V” device for valor. Following his time in the military Don worked as an FBI Special Agent and was a member of the Dallas Office Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.

After leaving the FBI, Don worked for companies that developed technology for the U.S. Special Operations Community. He holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Ohio State University, and an M.F.A in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Late Bloomers: A Novel

Deepa Varadarajan lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children. She is a legal academic and a graduate of Yale Law School. She grew up in Texas and received her BA from the University of Texas at Austin. Her short fiction has appeared in The Georgia Review and Colorado Review, and her legal scholarship has appeared in The Yale Law Journal and many other publications. Late Bloomers is her first novel.

In our second segment we welcome Christina Dodd

Forget What You Know: A Novel

Readers become writers, and Christina Dodd has always been a reader. She reads everything, but because she loves humor, she likes romance best.

A woman wants things like world peace, a clean house, and a deep and meaningful relationship based on mutual understanding and love. A man wants things like a Craftsman router with attachments, undisputed control of the TV remote, and a red Corvette which will miraculously make his bald spot disappear. So when Christina’s first daughter was born, she told her husband she was going to quit work and write a book. It was a good time to start a new career, because how much trouble could one little infant be?

Ha! It took ten years, two children and three completed manuscripts before her first novel, CANDLE IN THE WINDOW, was published. In the thirty-two years since, her novels have been translated into 25 languages, won Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart and RITA Awards and been called the year’s best by Library Journal and Booklist. Christina Dodd herself has been a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle (11/18/05, # 13 Down: Romance Novelist named Christina.) Her mother was thrilled! With more than 15 million of her books in print, Booklist praises her, “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd.”

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Marion Lane and the Raven's Revenge: A Novel (A Marion Lane Mystery Book 3)

T.A. Willberg grew up on a small-holding in South Africa. At 27, she moved to Malta and wrote her debut novel, MARION LANE AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDER which was named one of Amazon's "100 Best Books of 2021" as well as a Strand "Book of the Month", a Library Reads pick and many more. It has also been translated into multiple languages. The sequel, MARION LANE AND THE DEADLY ROSE, was published around the world in February, 2022 and was featured in The New York Times Book Review. T.A. now lives between Europe and South Africa, chasing summers and adventures.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

From the author of A Most English Princess comes a rich novel about young Princess Alix of Hesse—the future Alexandra, last Empress of Imperial Russia—and her sister, Princess Ella. Their decision to marry into the Romanov royal family changed history.

They were granddaughters of Queen Victoria and two of the most beautiful princesses in Europe. Princesses Alix and Ella were destined to wed well and wisely. But while their grandmother wants to join them to the English and German royal families, the sisters fall in love with Russia—and the Romanovs.

Defying the Queen’s dire warnings, Ella weds the tsar’s brother, Grand Duke Serge. Cultivated, aloof, and proud, Serge places his young wife on a pedestal for all to admire. Behind palace gates, Ella struggles to secure private happiness.

Alix, whisked away to Russia for Ella’s wedding, meets and captivates Nicky—heir apparent to the Russian throne. While loving him deeply, Alix hears a call of conscience, urging her to walk away.

Their fateful decisions to marry will lead to tragic consequences for not only themselves and their families, but for millions in Russia and around the globe.

The Romanov Brides is a moving and fascinating portrait of two bold and spirited royal sisters, and brings to vivid life imperial Russia—a dazzling, decadent world on the brink of disappearing forever. 

Clare McHugh is the author of A Most English Princess, a historical novel about the family of Queen Victoria, and The Romanov Brides. A former newspaper reporter and magazine editor, McHugh graduated from Harvard College with a degree in European history. She currently lives in London and in Amagansett, NY.

This book is a hands-on manual for crafting your story, and we hope you enjoy working through it.    This book has been split into two distinct parts to help you in your writing journey. Part One is all about the things you should be doing before you even get started on a draft or an outline. In this first part, I’m going to be covering the foundational knowledge of a book: what a book is, figuring out your genre and subgenre, and more. I’ll also be talking about the mindset of a writer, what you need to write your book, and where you’ll be writing. Finally, I’ll wrap up Part One with the basics of plotting and planning. Just the idea of planning might make some of you groan, so chill out for a second, because I have ways of outlining and structuring for those who love to plan and those who absolutely hate it.    Part Two is where we get to the good stuff: writing your first draft. I’ll go over the key elements of a kickass book, as well as the more technical stuff like point of view, active and passive voice, and more. Together we’ll do a deep dive into what it takes to make the perfect plot, compelling characters, and tantalizing themes. And I’ll even help you out with ways to actually get your book written (again, it’s a long, sometimes difficult journey) and what to do when you encounter setbacks like the dreaded writer’s block. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds.

The Senator's Wife: A Novel

Liv Constantine is the pen name of sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Lynne and Valerie are Wall St. Journal and USA Today international bestselling authors with over one million copies sold worldwide. They are Library Reads Hall of Fame authors. Their books have been translated into 28 languages, are available in 33 countries, and are in development for both television and film. Their books have been praised by USA Today, The Sunday Times, People Magazine, and Good Morning America, among many others. Their debut novel, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH, is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Turn It Up!: My Time Making Hit Records In The Glory Days Of Rock Music (Featuring Mötley Crüe, Poison, Twisted Sister, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, And More)

TOM WERMAN is a former music industry executive and producer who worked with some of the biggest names in rock and metal during the 1970s and ‘80s. Shortly after joining Epic Records in 1970, he brought REO Speedwagon to the label, then discovered, signed, and produced Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, and Molly Hatchet, among others. As an independent producer in the 1980s and ‘90s, he worked with acts including Blue Öyster Cult, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, LA Guns, Poison, Stryper, and Lita Ford. After retiring from producing in 2001, he owned and operated Stonover Farm, a luxury bed-and-breakfast in Lenox, Massachusetts. 

A fascinating, rock-star-studded read and vivid time-travel trip, Turn It Up! is also an inspiring memoir for anyone who cares about making and appreciating good music. I look forward to exploring interview opportunities.

 The Golden Spoon: A Novel

“This delicious combination of Clue and The Great British Bakeoff kept me turning the pages all night!” —Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Only Murders in the Building meets The Maid in this darkly beguiling locked-room mystery where someone turns up dead on the set of TV’s hottest baking competition—perfect for fans of Nita Prose, Richard Osman, and Anthony Horowitz.

Every summer for the past ten years, six awe-struck bakers have descended on the grounds of Grafton, the leafy and imposing Vermont estate that is not only the filming site for “Bake Week” but also the childhood home of the show’s famous host, celebrated baker Betsy Martin.

The author of numerous bestselling cookbooks and hailed as “America’s Grandmother,” Betsy Martin isn’t as warm off-screen as on, though no one needs to know that but her. She has always demanded perfection, and gotten it with a smile, but this year something is off. As the baking competition commences, things begin to go awry. At first, it’s merely sabotage—sugar replaced with salt, a burner turned to high—but when a body is discovered, everyone is a suspect.

A sharp and suspenseful thriller for mystery buffs and avid bakers alike, The Golden Spoon is a brilliant puzzle filled with shocking twists and turns that will keep you reading late into the night until you turn the very last page of this incredible debut.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

For You and Only You: A Joe Goldberg Novel

Caroline Kepnes is the New York Times bestselling author of You, Hidden Bodies, Providence and You Love Me. Her work has been translated into a multitude of languages and inspired a television series adaptation of You, currently on Netflix. Kepnes graduated from Brown University and then worked as a pop culture journalist for Entertainment Weekly and a TV writer for 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She grew up in Cape Cod, and now lives in Los Angeles.

https://youtube.com/live/sRyVLrq1iJY

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Celeste Barclay, a nom de plume, lives near the Southern California coast with her husband and sons. Growing up in the Midwest, Celeste enjoyed spending as much time in and on the water as she could. Now she lives near the beach. She's an avid swimmer, a hopeful future surfer, and a former rower. Before becoming a full-time author, Celeste was a Social Studies and English teacher. She holds degrees in International Affairs (BA), Secondary Social Science (MAT), and Political Management (MPS). She channels that knowledge into creating rich historical romances that bring the heat.

Burn the Negative

Josh Winning is a nostalgia nut, book/film lover and author of The Shadow Glass, The Times’s Book of the Month, which is perfect for fans of Henson Company puppet classics Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, and The NeverEnding Story.

He is senior film writer at Radio Times, has written for Total Film magazine for over a decade, and is the co-host of movie podcast Torn Stubs. He has been on set with Kermit the Frog (and Miss Piggy), devoured breakfast with zombies on The Walking Dead, and sat on the Iron Throne on the Dublin set of Game of Thrones.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

One Blood: A Novel

New York Times best-selling author DENENE MILLNER is a highly respected and sought after award-winning journalist whose captivating books, columns and essays have secured her foothold in the entertainment, parenting, book publishing and social media industries. The veteran author has written and collaborated on 31 critically acclaimed and bestselling books, penning tomes with Taraji P. Henson, Will Smith, Charlie Wilson and Jessye Norman, among other celebrities, and co-authoring “The Vow,” the novel on which the hit Lifetime movie, “With This Ring” was based. She also has been a frequent contributing entertainment, parenting and relationships writer for some of the nation’s most well-read and respected magazines, penning high-profile cover stories on everyone from hit filmmaker Tyler Perry and Scandal’s Kerry Washington to super star George Clooney and The Walking Dead’s Lauren Cohan, for Essence, Women’s Health, Ebony and other top publications.

Denene also is vice president and publisher of Denene Millner Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint that publishes books featuring African American children. In its debut year, "Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut," won Newbery and Caldecott honors and the Kirkus Prize for Children's Literature. She has since gone on to publish a plethora of critically-acclaimed picture books and young adult novels, all with a singular focus: to celebrate the everyday humanity of Black children. As the sole African American woman with her own children’s book imprint at a Big 5 publishing house, Denene acquires, conceives and edits books for the imprint, oversees their artistic development, and helps conceptualize and execute all aspects of the publishing process, including marketing, publicity and sales, with a focus on creating opportunities for marginalized writers, artists and their stories.

In addition to running her imprint and penning books and magazine cover stories, Millner spent a decade working as a columnist, contributing editor, and blogger for Parenting, a national magazine for which she provided witty, engaging, mom-to-mom advice on everything from childrearing and marriage to work and friendship. Denene is also the founder and editor of MyBrownBaby.com, an oft celebrated, award-winning website that examines parenting and motherhood through a distinctive multicultural lens. Her work as a parenting and relationships expert has been covered extensively on national television, earning Millner regular appearances on the Today show, The Meredith Vieira Show and HLN, and guest appearances on CBS’s The Early Show, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, VH-1, The Nate Berkus Show and The Rachel Ray Show. In 2018, she became a founding co-host on Georgia Public Broadcasting's "A Seat at the Table," a talk show about black women, which led to her founding of the critically-acclaimed NPR podcast "Speakeasy with Denene," a celebration of the beauty of the African American experience.

Denene's upcoming novel, "One Blood," an epic triptych on Black motherhood, publishes on September 5, 2023 from Forge Books.

Denene lives is a graduate of Hofstra University and lives in Atlanta with her two daughters and their adorable Goldendoodle, Franklin.

www.denenemillner.com

Instagram

Facebook

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

 

Michael La Ronn talks about how you can be the most productive and creative by making adjustments to your mindset, and accomplish more than you thought possible.   Guest workshops like Michael La Ronn's Level-Up Your Author Mindset are just one of the great new features we're bringing to Dabble Premium for now extra cost. The Dabble Premium experience isn't just about providing the world's best novel-writing platform, but we're there to help you achieve your author dreams with resources and events like:

• Workshops and guest speakers
• Live Office Hours
• Opportunities for personalized feedback
• Deep-dive articles and custom resources for serious authors

If you want to take your writing to the next level, check out all Dabble Premium has to offer: https://www.dabblewriter.com/pricing  

On today's episode of the Story Craft Café, we talk with Josh Hayes about how he found his niche where he could be successful in publishing.

A retired police officer, Josh Hayes is the author of the upcoming Weaponized series, the Valor Trilogy, Stryker's War (Galaxy's Edge), the Terra Nova Chronicles w/ Richard Fox, the Tranquility series, and numerous short stories. His debut solo novel, Edge of Valor, was a finalist for the 2020 Dragon Award for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel. He grew up a military brat, affording him the opportunity to meet several different types of people, in multiple states and foreign countries. After graduating high school, he joined the United States Air Force and served for six years, before leaving military life to work in law enforcement. During his time with the Wichita Police Department, Josh served as a patrol officer, bicycle officer, community policing officer, and was an assistant bomb technician on the Bomb Squad. His experiences in both his military life and police life have given him unique glimpses into the lives of people around him and it shows through in the characters he creates.  Josh is also the creator and president of Keystroke Medium, a popular YouTube show and podcast focused on the craft of writing.

Website: www.keystrokemedium.com YouTube: www.youtube.com/keystrokemedium

Josh is a co-host of the Baen Free Radio Podcast, the official podcast of Baen Books.

Website: https://www.baen.com/

 

Novels:

Weaponized (Aethon Books)

1. Weaponized Fury, coming 2022
2. Weaponized Rage, coming 2022
3. Weaponized Wrath, coming 2022

 

Tranquility (Aethon Books)

1. Blood and Steel, 2021
2. Battle Lines, 2021
3. War Fighter, coming 2022

 

The Valor Trilogy (Aethon Books)

1. Edge of Valor, 2019 – 2020 Dragon Award Finalist – Best Military Science Fiction Novel
2. Echoes of Valor, 2020
3. Edge of Valor, 2020

 

Order of the Centurion, Galaxy’s Edge w/ Jason Anspach and Nick Cole (Galaxy’s Edge Press)

1. Stryker’s War, 2019

 

The Terra Nova Chronicles w/ Richard Fox (Triplane Press)

1. Terra Nova, 2017
2. Blood Lines, 2018
3. Wings of Redemption, 2019
4. Hale’s War, 2019

 

Published Short Stories:

 

Blooded – A Grimm's War Story, 2022 – One Decisive Victory (Aethon Books)

Open Ended Contract, 2022 – We Dare 4: Wanted, Dead or Alive (Theogeny Books)

A Song of Mercy, 2022 – Talons and Talimans (New Mythology Press)

Lunar Fury, 2020 – Battle Luna Anthology (Baen Books)

Now You Don’t, 2019 – We Dare Anthology (Theogeny Books)

The Wagner Method, 2019 — Hope is Not a Strategy Anthology (Seventh Seal Press)

A Prelude to Valor, 2018 — Backblast Area Clear Anthology (JR Handley)

Leverage, 2017 — For a Few Credits More Anthology (Seventh Seal Press)

Salvation, 2017 — Question of the Day Anthology (Clayborn Press)

Harbinger, 2017 — Explorations: First Contact (Woodbridge Press)

The Path to War, 2017 — Explorations: War (Woodbridge Press)

Hero Worship, 2017 — It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! Anthology (Steve Beaulieu)

The Long Haul, 2016 — Mostly Murder: Till Death Anthology (Elemental Press)

The Lost Colony, 2016 — Explorations: Through the Wormhole Anthology (Woodbridge Press)

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas at Corgi Cove: A Novel

Annie England Noblin lives with her son, husband, and three dogs in the Missouri Ozarks. She graduated with an M.A. in creative writing from Missouri State University and currently teaches English and communications for Arkansas State University in Mountain Home, Arkansas. She spends her free time playing make-believe, feeding stray cats, and working with animal shelters across the country to save homeless dogs.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Join us at YouTube for our Preptober series of videos. 

Joe Stillman co-wrote Shrek for Dreamworks which earned him an Academy Award® nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Annie and BAFTA Awards.  Other produced features are Beavis & Butthead Do America, Shrek 2, Gulliver’s Travels, Planet 51 and Joseph King Of Dreams. In television, he was co-producer and writer on King of the Hill, for which he received two Emmy Award® nominations. He was a writer and story editor for Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete and Pete and a writer on MTV’s Beavis and Butthead. More recently he worked on Nickelodeon’s Sanjay and Craig and Kirby Buckets for Disney. Other TV credits include Albert for Nickelodeon, The War Next Door for the USA Network, Clueless, Doug and Danger and Eggs for Amazon. He’s currently working on a Curious George feature for streaming on Peacock.

The Man Who Came and Went, a novel of the new west, is a magically realistic story for the modern era that will tease your understanding and beliefs, and draw you into the mysteries of the universe, from the brilliant mind of Joe Stillman, acclaimed Academy Award nominated co-writer of “Shrek.”  Fifteen-year-old Belutha Mariah, our storyteller, is the oldest of three kids from three different fathers. Her life’s goal is to keep her dysfunctional mom, Maybell, from procreating yet again and then to leave the coffin-sized town of Hadley, Arizona the second she graduates high school. Along comes the new grill cook at Maybell’s Diner, Bill Bill, a mysterious drifter with the ability to mind-read orders. As word spreads in Hadley and beyond, the curious and desperate pour into this small desert town to eat at Maybell's. Some believe Bill knows the secrets of the universe. Belutha figures he’s probably nuts. But his cooking starts to transform the lives of locals and visitors, and Belutha finds her angry heart opening, as Bill begins to show her the porous boundary between this life and what comes after. In a normal American town, something new and strange, and yet achingly familiar, begins to unfold.

Janice Hallett is a former magazine editor, award-winning journalist, and government communications writer. She wrote articles and speeches for, among others, the Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Department for International Development. Her enthusiasm for travel has taken her around the world several times, from Madagascar to the Galapagos, Guatemala to Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. A playwright and screenwriter, she penned the feminist Shakespearean stage comedy NetherBard and cowrote the feature film Retreat. She lives in London and is the author of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, The Appeal, The Christmas Appeal, and The Twyford Code.

Today we bring you Chapter 6 of Let's Write A Book!

This book is a hands-on manual for crafting your story, and we hope you enjoy working through it.    This book has been split into two distinct parts to help you in your writing journey. Part One is all about the things you should be doing before you even get started on a draft or an outline. In this first part, I’m going to be covering the foundational knowledge of a book: what a book is, figuring out your genre and subgenre, and more. I’ll also be talking about the mindset of a writer, what you need to write your book, and where you’ll be writing. Finally, I’ll wrap up Part One with the basics of plotting and planning. Just the idea of planning might make some of you groan, so chill out for a second, because I have ways of outlining and structuring for those who love to plan and those who absolutely hate it.    Part Two is where we get to the good stuff: writing your first draft. I’ll go over the key elements of a kickass book, as well as the more technical stuff like point of view, active and passive voice, and more. Together we’ll do a deep dive into what it takes to make the perfect plot, compelling characters, and tantalizing themes. And I’ll even help you out with ways to actually get your book written (again, it’s a long, sometimes difficult journey) and what to do when you encounter setbacks like the dreaded writer’s block. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds.

Do you have a recommendation for a guest on the show? Want more of a particular direction of guests? Drop me a line at hank.garner@dabblewriter.com and let me know!

Join us at our YouTube channel to join in LIVE for upcoming author interviews! 

https://tinyurl.com/dabbleyoutube

Just Another Missing Person: A Novel

Gillian McAllister is the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of the following novels: 

Everything But The Truth (2017)

Anything You Do Say (2018) called The Choice in America 

 No Further Questions (2018) called The Good Sister in America 

The Evidence Against You (2019) 

How To Disappear (2020) 

That Night (2021) 

Wrong Place Wrong Time (2022) 

All are standalone and can be read in any order. 

Her latest release is Wrong Place Wrong Time, available now and selected for the Radio 2 book club and was the Reese's Book Club August '22 pick. It debuted at number 4 on the Sunday Times Bestseller List and number 2 on the New York Times Bestseller List. She has been selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, the Radio 2 Book Club and is published in over 25 languages.

You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @gillianmauthor and at http://www.gillianmcallister.com.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Craft Q&A Office Hours are meant to answer your most pressing questions. During our live events, we always get a bunch of questions spanning the entire spectrum of writing and storytelling. So we decided to dedicate some time to answer them.

Craft Q&A Office Hours are one of our premium perks for Dabble Premium Subscribers. If you would like to participate live in an Office Hours session, consider becoming a premium Dabble Subscriber.

Dabblewriter.com

 

It's been a wild and memorable 60 days, and we have learned a lot about the art and science of writing, and a lot about ourselves. How did we do? Did we hit our wordcount target? Did we form new habits? Most importantly, do we feel like we are better writers now than when we started? We'll recap the challenge and look forward to the future.

Welcome to the Story Craft Café Podcast.  If you joined us yesterday then you know that we're talking with Michael La Ronn, author of more than 80 books. Today we go deep on character development. Michael talks about his focus on sci fi and fantasy, and his new focus on urban fantasy specifically. We talk about starting with characters and tropes that readers are familiar with, then adding a twist that will make people continue thinking about your book long after they close the back cover. What is the central conflict in all of Michael's stories? Find out in today's episode!

Episode 36 With Michael La Ronn Part One

https://www.michaellaronn.com/

https://authorlevelup.com/

 Michael's YouTube Channel

Do you have a recommendation for a guest on the show? Want more of a particular direction of guests? Drop me a line at hank.garner@dabblewriter.com and let me know!

Join us at our YouTube channel to join in LIVE for upcoming author interviews! 

https://tinyurl.com/dabbleyoutube

The River We Remember: A Novel

Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He’s been married for fifty years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves.

Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last eleven novels were all New York Times bestsellers.

Ordinary Grace, his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. The companion novel, This Tender Land, was published in September 2019 and spent nearly six months on the New York Times bestseller list.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Christopher Paolini drops by the Story Craft Cafe again to talk about his new releases this year, a sci fi thriller follow up called Fractal Noise, as well as his return this fall to the world of Eragon. 

Christopher was homeschooled by his parents. As a child, he often wrote short stories and poems, made frequent trips to the library, and read widely. Some of his favorite books were Bruce Coville’s Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Frank Herbert’s Dune, and Raymond E. Feist’s Magician (now available in volumes one and two), as well as books by Anne McCaffrey, Jane Yolen, Brian Jacques, E.R. Eddison, David Eddings, and Ursula K. Le Guin.

The idea of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher’s love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby, a personal challenge; he never intended it to be published. Before he began writing Eragon, he plotted out the entire adventure. He found that doing some of the same things as his characters allowed him to better understand their world, as well as to think of descriptions that otherwise would not have occured to him. To this end he forged his own knives and swords, made chain mail, spun wool, camped in the Beartooth Mountains, made his own bow, built survival shelters, learned to track game, fletched arrows, felled trees, hiked, and camped. In short, the books embody a great deal of his experience of living in Montana.

His work also combined elements gathered from research and from his imagination. He read a huge amount of folklore while growing up, ranging from the Brothers Grimm to Beowulf, Nordic sagas, and the Aeneid, along with contemporary fantasy and science fiction. In addition, he learned about weaponry, food, clothing, and customs from the Middle Ages, which is roughly the era he envisioned Eragon living in. Armed with that information, he daydreamed the scenes with his characters. Then he took pen to paper and tried to recreate those images with words.

Christopher was fifteen when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book, and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and spent a third year preparing the manuscript for publication: copyediting, proofreading, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye for the book cover (which now appears inside the Knopf hardcover edition). The manuscript was sent to press and the first books arrived in November 2001. The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003.

In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson had read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf Books For Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Michelle Frey, executive editor at Knopf, contacted Christopher and his family to ask if they might be interested in having Knopf publish Eragon. The answer was yes, and after another round of editing, Knopf published Eragon in August 2003. The book immediately became a New York Times Best Seller.

https://youtube.com/live/qzyaqkPntK0

 

Glynn Stewart is the author of Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic. His other works include science fiction series Duchy of Terra, Castle Federation and Exile, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood.

Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Southern Ontario with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

A Promise of Peridot (The Sacred Stones)

Listen to Kate's first appearance in the Story Craft Cafe here: Dark Magic, Deadly Beasts, And Fantasy Romance With Kate Golden | SCC 124.

The next seductive, sweeping, action-packed installment in the addictive Sacred Stones trilogy. A prophecy of death. A weapon of hope. A sacrifice of love. Arwen Valondale is sailing for the mysterious Kingdom of Citrine after the battle of Siren’s Bay. Still reeling from the loss of her mother and the shock of her newfound powers, Arwen directs all of her pain and rage toward the man who betrayed her: King Kane Ravenwood. But Kane’s presence is unavoidable as he leads Arwen and her friends on an expedition to recover the Blade of the Sun—a legendary weapon with the power to kill tyrannical Fae King Lazarus. Their uneasy truce proves difficult to maintain, as Arwen battles her unresolved feelings, and Kane is willing to become darkness itself to protect her. Arwen knows failure to fulfill the prophecy will seal both her own fate as well as the fates of those she loves most. But as Arwen faces creatures, foes, and magic beyond her wildest imaginings, her resolve is tested in ways she never could have foreseen.

Kate Golden is the bestselling author of viral sensation and debut novel A Dawn of Onyx. She lives in Los Angeles where she works in the film industry developing movies with screenwriters and filmmakers. When she isn’t telling stories, Kate is an avid book reader, movie fanatic, and functioning puzzle addict. She and her husband can be found hosting cozy game nights and taking hikes with their sweet pup, Milo. You can find her on Instagram at KateGoldenAuthor and on TikTok at Kate_Golden_Author, where she is known to post both spicy and heartbreaking teasers for her upcoming books.

https://www.instagram.com/kategoldenauthor/

https://www.tiktok.com/@kate_golden_author

https://mobile.twitter.com/KateGoldenBooks

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

 

 

Code Red: A Mitch Rapp Novel by Kyle Mills

Kyle Mills is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three political thrillers, including Code Red, Total Power, Lethal Agent, and Red War for Vince Flynn and The Patriot Attack for Robert Ludlum. He initially found inspiration from his father, the former director of Interpol, and still draws on his contacts in the intelligence community to give his books such realism. Avid outdoor athletes, he and his wife split their time between Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Granada, Spain. Visit his website at KyleMills.com or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @KyleMillsAuthor.

When you click a link on our site, it might just be a magical portal (aka an affiliate link). We're passionate about only sharing the treasures we truly believe in. Every purchase made from our links not only supports Dabble but also the marvelous authors and creators we showcase, at no additional cost to you.

Authors have more options than ever when deciding how they want to achieve their writing goals. The two big options - self-publishing and traditional publishing - are still mysterious and, quite frankly, confusing, to some writers.

Join Hank and Doug in this Fireside Chat as we discuss what it means to publish on each path and what the pros and cons of each publishing style are.

----------

Try out Dabble free for 14 days and see why it’s the best writing tool on the planet—no credit card required! Visit our website at www.dabblewriter.com to get started.

Subscribe to our channel for more live events like author interviews, Writing Sprint Wednesdays, Feedback Fridays, and Fireside Chats.

We're all about helping authors hone their craft with engaging, fun, and educational content. On top of all that, Dabble Premium members get access to exclusive content like Craft Q&A Office Hours, Wordsmith Workshops, Deep Dive articles, bonus resources, and guest speaker workshops.

Happy writing!

60-Day Challenge Dabble Template: https://bit.ly/3XBxdVh Join the Challenge Community: https://www.storycraft.cafe/c/join-the-challenge/ 

Are you ready to turn your writing dreams into reality? We’re thrilled to announce our 60-Day Novel Challenge—an exciting, guided community challenge to take you from a blank page and an idea to a finished first draft in just two months!

Join us LIVE for the official announcement where we’ll unveil all the exciting details, including:

📖 Challenge Overview: How the 60-Day Novel Challenge works and what you’ll accomplish by the end. 🛠 Tools & Resources: Learn about the curriculum, exercises, and resources we’ve prepared to guide you through each step, including a step-by-step Dabble template for you. 🎯 Weekly Goals & Support: We’ll break down the weekly objectives and share tips for staying on track. 💡 Writing Tips: Get expert advice on outlining, character development, overcoming writer's block, and hitting those word counts! 🎁 Exclusive Offers: Find out how even non-Dabblers can use Dabble to write their novel in 60 Days. 🌟 Q&A: Have questions about the challenge or your own writing journey? We’ll be answering them live!

This is the perfect opportunity to get a head start on your novel, connect with other writers, and stay accountable, whether you're participating in NaNoWriMo or not.

Don’t forget to hit the notification bell and subscribe so you won’t miss this exciting announcement. See you there!

Lucy Score is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Small town contemporary rom-coms are her lady jam and she enjoys delivering the feels with a huge side of happily ever after.

Her books have been translated into several languages, making readers around the world snort laugh, swoon, and sob. Lucy lives in Pennsylvania with the devastatingly handsome Mr. Lucy and their horrible cat.

In her spare time she enjoys sleeping, eating, and reading romance novels other people wrote.

Lucy Score grew up in rural Pennsylvania with a lot of time on her hands and a big imagination. She was the oldest of three in a literary household. Dinners were often spent in silence while family members had their noses buried in books. A passion for writing took hold at five when she taught her brother to write his name on the bathroom door.

She started writing (on paper) in the second grade, first about pilgrims on the Mayflower and over the years graduated to essays, articles, blogs, and finally books.

Before becoming a full-time writer, Lucy pretended to be a normal adult by holding down jobs that included event planner, bartender, newspaper lackey, and yoga instructor.

Lucy and Mr. Lucy, enjoy spending time with their ten nieces and nephews and are determined to learn to sail so they can live on a sailboat in the Caribbean someday.

Rick Partlow is that rarest of species, a native Floridian. Born in Tampa, he attended Florida Southern College and graduated with a degree in History and a commission in the US Army as an Infantry officer.

His lifelong love of science fiction began with Have Space Suit---Will Travel and the other Heinlein juveniles and traveled through Clifford Simak, Asimov, Clarke and on to William Gibson, Walter Jon Williams and Peter F Hamilton. And somewhere, submerged in the worlds of others, Rick began to create his own worlds.

He has written over 40 books in a dozen different series, and his short stories have been included in twelve different anthologies.

He lives in central Florida with his wife, two children and two lovable mutts. Besides writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, he enjoys outdoor photography, hiking and camping.

Liv Constantine is the pen name of sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Lynne and Valerie are Wall Street Journal and USA Today international bestselling authors with over one and a half million copies sold worldwide. They are Library Reads Hall of Fame authors. Their books have been translated into 29 languages, are available in 34 countries, and are in development for both television and film. Their books have been praised by The Washington Post, USA Today, The Sunday Times, People Magazine, and Good Morning America, among many others. Their debut novel, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH, is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection.

Amber and Danielle Brown both graduated from Rider University where they studied Communications/Journalism and sat on the editorial staff for the On Fire!! literary journal. They then pursued a career in fashion and spent five years in NYC working their way up, eventually managing their own popular fashion and lifestyle blog. Amber is also a screenwriter, so they live in LA, which works out perfectly so Danielle can spoil her plant babies with copious amount of sunshine. Find them at https://www.amberanddanielle.com/

Fireworks Every Night: A Novel

Join us at our YouTube channel to join in LIVE for upcoming author interviews! 

https://tinyurl.com/dabbleyoutube

A young woman trapped in a deeply dysfunctional family in the seedy wilds of 1990s South Florida has to make a choice—save her family, or save herself—in this larger-than-life debut novel from the acclaimed author of Lay the Favorite (a memoir about Raymer’s years in Las Vegas and her work in the sports betting industry, which was made into a feature film directed by Stephen Frears and starring Rebecca Hall and Bruce Willis).

In Beth Raymer’s FIREWORKS EVERY NIGHT (Random House, on-sale 6/27) we meet twelve-year-old CC (named after her father’s beloved Canadian Club whiskey), an unforgettable protagonist who narrates her life story with dark comedy and compassion for her family, even as her parents “opt out of parenthood” as well as society.

CC’s father is a born grifter, a used-car salesman who burns down his dealership in southern Ohio for enough insurance money to set up a life for himself, his wife, and his two young daughters in a place he picks largely at random, because the living seems easy. CC’s mother is thirty-five going on seventeen, a housewife who just wants to drive a Mustang and hang out at the mall. CC’s big sister Lorraine goes from loving Debbie Gibson and jelly shoes to having a full-on drug addiction and listening only to heavy metal, after enduring forms of abuse within her family. In the midst of this dysfunction, CC is trying to stay afloat and make it out—to achieve some semblance of a stable life while coming up against the structural and cultural challenges of growing up in poverty.

While a work of fiction, Raymer’s novel is very much drawn from real life. Hers is a unique voice telling a story with a lot of darkness, but also with incredibly comedy, compassion, and heart.  For even as CC is a young woman failed by most of those around her, she still is a character determined to succeed, and one who refuses to disavow the place and people she came from.  And while her story is harrowing, I think you will also find it surprisingly poignant.

Leah Konen is the author of You Should Have Told Me, The Perfect Escape, and All the Broken People, as well as several young adult novels, including Love and Other Train Wrecks and The Romantics. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied journalism and English literature. She lives in Brooklyn and Saugerties, New York, with her husband; their daughter, Eleanor; and their dog, Farley.

"[A] highly entertaining, bone-chilling must read.”—Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest "A diabolical tour de force."—P.J. Vernon, author of Bath Haus “Don’t miss this propulsive, hypnotic thrill ride.”—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Last Girl Ghosted   First comes love. Then comes murder. Lucas Forester didn’t hate his wife. Michelle was brilliant, sophisticated and beautiful. Sure, she had extravagant spending habits, that petty attitude, a total disregard for anyone below her status. But she also had a lot to offer. Most notably: wealth that only the one percent could comprehend. For years, Lucas has been honing a flawless plan to inherit Michelle’s fortune. Unfortunately, it involves taking a hit out on her. Every track is covered, no trace left behind, and now Lucas plays the grieving husband so well he deserves an award. But when a shocking photo and cryptic note show up on his doorstep, Lucas goes from hunter to prey.  Someone is on to him. And they’re closing in. Told with dark wit and a sharply feminist sensibility, Never Coming Home is a terrifying tale of duplicity that will have you side-eyeing your spouse as you dash to the breathtaking end.

Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favour of writing. While her debut, TIME AFTER TIME, was a rom com, she transitioned to the dark side thereafter. Her suspense novels include THE NEIGHBORS, and bestsellers HER SECRET SON, SISTER DEAR, YOU WILL REMEMBER ME. Her sixth book is scheduled for spring 2022.

Hannah Mary lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons

Connect on Facebook and Instagram @hannahmarymckinnon, and on Twitter @HannahMMcKinnon. For more, visit www.hannahmarymckinnon.com

There's a lot of talk in the writing community about AI and the tools that AI are now affording writers. Today we hear from an author who is using this new technology to further her craft and career.

Leanne Leeds is a humorously acerbic, good-natured, contemporary paranormal/fantasy cozy mystery author who writes fun, lighthearted, and optimistic adventures where characters and events intersect in magically unexpected ways. With a cast of quirky characters inhabiting her fictional world, Leanne provides a unique blend of comedy, clues, and twisty action—all with a touch of magic that keeps readers turning pages.

Leanne is a proud member of Novelists, Inc., The Alliance of Independent Authors, The Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime.

For information on Leanne Leeds visit: https://leanneleeds.com