DIY MFA Radio

Hey there word nerds! Today’s episode is extra-awesome because I’m speaking with not one, not two, but three fabulous ladies, who have had hand in bringing a truly buzz-worthy novel to life, on the show! First we have author Samantha Downing, whose debut novel My Lovely Wife has been getting a lot of attention. When she was a kid, Samantha’s mom brought her to the library every two weeks, where she would check out a stack of new books that she couldn’t put it down. She walked around with a book in front of her face, often walking into walls and stubbing her toes because she never watched where she was going. In her adult life she decided she wanted to be the one telling stories that would make people walk into walls and My Lovely Wife, is one such book. Next we have Samantha’s agent Barbara Poelle who began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in 2007. Barbara also did a brief stint as a standup comic in Los Angeles and if you’ve ever bumped into her at a conference or literary event, you know she is hilarious. Barbara has found success placing thrillers, suspense, young adult and upmarket fiction, She is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice. Jen Monroe is the editor behind this fabulous book. She joined Berkley in November 2016 and edits psychological suspense, upmarket fiction, speculative fiction, and narrative nonfiction. Previously, Jen spent two years at HarperAudio where she handled all editorial needs, and produced the in-house podcast HarperAudio Presents. Jen also pursued journalism interning for places including The New York Times and The San Francisco Examiner. So listen as Samantha, Barbara, Jen and I chat about the amazing novel MY LOVELY WIFE, and the teamwork involved between an author, agent, editor to bring a book into the world. In this episode Samantha, Barbara, Jen and I discuss: The matchmaking experience of publishing. Why communication is vital to a successful author-agent-editor relationship. Crafting an unreliable narrator while still maintaining your readers’ trust. Advice to help navigate disagreements in the editorial process. The most important thing querying writers need to know. Plus, each of these lovely ladies’ #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/245

Hey there word nerds! Today we have a little change of pace in store for you. As you may recall, when I’m at different conferences, I’ll sometimes record a live-from-the-conference interview, and this happens to be one of those episodes! This interview was recorded in front of a LIVE studio audience at INBOUND 2018. Now, if you’re not familiar with INBOUND, it’s a fantastic conference hosted by HubSpot and takes place in Boston every fall. INBOUND has featured some truly incredible keynote speakers during the years I’ve attended like Michelle Obama, Brene Brown, and Deepak Chopra. I know right! Now if you’re a marketing nerd like me, or your day job happens to be in marketing, social media, or design, this is the conference to attend. And the INBOUND team has graciously given us a discount code, which will give you $150 off a 4-Day, All-Access pass to this year’s event. Check out our show notes page for the info to take advantage of this amazing deal! So why do I love INBOUND so much? Well over the years I have been attending, I have had the awesome opportunity to speak at this event, and have been able to foster several friendships. And one of the people I’ve connected with happens to be today’s guest, Strother Gaines. Strother is a business and personal coach for creative entrepreneurs and those who want to become one. He is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and his coaching business has just about the best name of all time: “But I'm a Unicorn, Dammit!” In his business, Strother works passionately to help as many people as possible own up to the fact that they're a unique f($!@& snowflake. He also served as the event director for the DC Chapter of Network Under 40 and he recently spoke at the TEDx MidAtlantic Festival on on the topic of storytelling. I have also had the opportunity to hear Strother speak at INBOUND on networking, and after hearing his talk I knew I had to have him on the show to discuss this very topic. If you’re anything like me, you might look forward to networking about as much as you look forward to a deadline. It’s both terrifying and invigorating at the same time. So listen in as Strother and I chat about why networking is so freaking hard, and how the best way to make it easy is to show up as authentically you. In this episode Strother and I discuss: Tools to access your authentic self. Clamping down on what you share vs. keeping your privacy boundaries up. The benefits of getting a “no”. Networking pitfalls to avoid. Ice breakers and best practices in networking environments. Plus, Strother’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/244

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the absolute pleasure of hosting New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham on the show! A theater arts major at the University of South Florida, Heather began her career with several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals and bartending. After the birth of her third child, she decided to stay home and that’s when she began to write. Since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, sci-fi, young adult, and Christmas family fare. She has been published in twenty-five languages with about 60 million books in print and has been honored with just about every major writing award under the sun, including the  prestigious Thriller Master Award, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romance Writers of America. Heather has also been featured in several media outlets including People and USA Today, as well as on newscasts such as Today and Entertainment Tonight. Her newest book, A Lethal Legacy, is a chilling thriller which I read cover-to-cover because I could not put it down! So listen in as Heather and I chat about this amazing book, and how to craft a fictitious setting that feels real. In this episode Heather and I discuss: Building your world’s lore and mythology. How to use your setting to create impending peril and suspense in your plot. Why you need to make your readers care about the supporting cast. Crafting your villain’s motivations so they ring true for readers. Using alternating point of view characters to give a broader view of your story. Plus, Heather’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/243.

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with co-authors Anita Sarkeesian and Ebony Adams on the show! Anita is an award-winning media critic and the creator and executive director of Feminist Frequency, an educational nonprofit that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives. She is best known as the creator and host of the highly influential video series Tropes vs. Women in Video Games, and she dreams of owning a life-size replica of Buffy’s scythe. Ebony Adams is an author, activist, and former college educator whose work foregrounds the lives and work of black women in the diaspora. She writes widely on film criticism, social justice, and pop culture, and lives with a steadily-increasing collection of Doctor Who memorabilia. On top of all this these ladies are now co-authors of the YA nonfiction book History vs. Women: The Defiant Lives that They Don’t Want You to Know, which is a fascinating (and aesthetically beautiful) book highlighting the lives of women who made an impact on the world. I couldn’t help but fall in love with this book! First off, with its gorgeous illustrations, my inner graphic design geek went off the charts. Then there is the subject matter, which is something I feel super-passionate about, and the fact that it’s YA makes this book even better. When we share the stories of strong, impactful women throughout history with the young women of today, we’re not just empowering the young generation. We’re empowering everybody to help make our culture and our society better. So listen in as Anita, Ebony, and I chat about this truly awesome book, and the importance of challenging our own perspectives through what we read and what we write. In this episode Anita, Ebony and I discuss: The research technique of “insistent archaeology”. How to translate scholarly texts into exciting stories. The dangers of passive reading. Advantages of the YA genre to get unknown stories out there. Why stories about women should be shared with young children of all genders. Plus, both of these lovely ladies’ #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/242

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Glynn Stewart on the show! Glynn was liberated from a bleak future of being an accountant by his unstoppable writing habit which led him to write several science-fiction, space opera, and fantasy series. He is the author of the 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 Exile and Castle Federation, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood. Glynn is also the author of the space opera trilogy Duchy of Terra as well as its sequel series Light of Terra, the first book of which (Darkness Beyond) was released in October of 2018. I am in the midst of reading the first book in the original Duchy of Terra series, and OMG it is so awesome! It combines my two favorite things, pirates and outer space, into one epic story. So listen in as Glynn and I talk about this amazing series, and turning the tropes of military science fiction upside down. In this episode Glynn and I discuss: Crafting a strong female protagonist in military science fiction the right way. The art of using a point of view that is both limited and omniscient. How to create alien species that don’t feel earthbound. Worldbuilding through phased info dumps. Using history to inform your science fiction. Plus, Glynn’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/241

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of speaking with New York Times and USA Today bestselling author B.J. Daniels! After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, B.J. wrote and sold over 37 short stories before she finally wrote her first book, Odd Man Out, which went on to be nominated for Best First Book and Best Intrigue for 1995 in the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards. Since then she has sold more than 40 short stories and over 100 books, and has won numerous awards including a Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award in 2002 with her novel Premeditated Marriage, and a Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Suspense in 2002 from the Romantic Times. Her latest novel, Stroke of Luck, kicks off her newest romantic suspense series, Sterling’s Ranch.So listen in as B.J. and I chat about this awesome book and how to weave together the suspense of mystery with the tension of romance into one amazing story. In this episode B.J. and I discuss: Using a compressed space to amplify the tension between your characters. How to craft the “fool” supporting character archetype the right way. Happily ever after, making the inevitable romance ending surprising every time. Bringing a unique world to life through the eyes of your characters. How to write a series for new readers and loyal fans at the same time. Plus, B.J.’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/240

Hey there word nerds! Today I am delighted to have Dan Grant on the show! Dan is an author with a background in electrical engineering who has always loved the world of stories and intriguing tales, especially suspense and thrillers that weave science, medicine, or technology into the fabric of the drama. As a licensed professional engineer he’s had the unique opportunity to work with a variety of medical and technological projects and to get behind the scenes at military facilities. And as you read his debut thriller, The Singularity Witness, you can definitely see how his engineering background has filtered into the narrative to form a broader storytelling tapestry. Dan is currently hard work on his next thriller entitled Thirteen Across, as well as the next book in his Singularity series. Now listen in as Dan and I chat about his awesome debut The Singularity Witness, and how to balance hard science with the fast pace of thrillers. In this episode Dan and I discuss: How to use research for a science based thriller without info dumping. Showing your story’s world through the perspective of an outsider. How to add depth to your characters without slowing down the plot. Worldbuilding in a unique setting grounded in today’s reality. Choosing the path of self publishing. Plus, Dan’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/239

Hey there word nerds! Today I am so excited to be hosting Brazilian author Tony Bellotto on the show! As some of you may know, my parents are from Brazil and my first language is actually Portuguese. Though I was raised in the U.S. I consider myself as much Brazilian as American so I am super thrilled to have a Brazilian author here today! Tony is the author of the best-selling Bellini mystery novels, which have been released as major feature films and translated widely, establishing him as the preeminent writer of Brazilian detective fiction. He is also a guitarist and songwriter for the famed Brazilian rock band Titãs (The Titans), which has released twenty albums and sold over six million copies. On top of all that, Tony is also the editor of Rio Noir and São Paulo Noir, both published by Akashic Books, who are also releasing the English translation of his Bellini mysteries starting with his debut novel, Bellini and the Sphinx, which is now available. Now listen in, and get ready to hear a little Portuguese, as Tony and I chat about the two awesome anthologies he edited and what it really means for a story to be noir. In this episode Tony and I discuss: The broad definition of “noir”. How to create a crime fiction anthology with non-crime fiction writers. Using humor to create the noir atmosphere. Why you should divide an anthology into sections, and how to do it right. International publishing and the translation process. Plus, Tony’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/238

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Kevin Brooks on the show! Kevin is a critically acclaimed young adult novelist whose first book, Martyn Pig, was named a Publishers Weekly “Flying Start” selection. Kevin has written many books since then including Black Rabbit Summer, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal, and The Bunker Diary, which won the Carnegie Medal in 2014. His most recent novel, Born Scared, is a terrifying thriller about a 13-year-old boy named Elliot confined to his home by incapacitating fear. But then on Christmas Eve, a mixup at the pharmacy leaves him with not enough pills. His mother must go out into the snowstorm to get more, and when she doesn’t come back Elliot has to venture out after her on his own. This book really resonated with me on so many levels and I’m sure it will resonate with many of you as well. So listen in as Kevin and I talk about this amazing book, and learning how to embrace the fear of writing not just on the page but as writers. In this episode Kevin and I discuss: Tackling the deeply, dark reality of mental illness on the page. How to deal with “analysis paralysis” and keep writing. Creating drama and suspense when your character is in a very confined space. The technique of shifting between 1st and 3rd person POV, and how to do it right. How to use the design aspects of writing to enhance your story. Plus, Kevin’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/237

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Jeff Somers on the show! I first met Jeff at BookExpo this past spring and had the opportunity to hear him speak at the Writer’s Digest Conference this past summer, and the moment we crossed paths I knew that we were going to be instant writing besties. First off, he’s hilarious. Second, he’s an iconoclast, so not really into following the rules, which is totally my jam. Plus, his wife is also super-awesome which means he has great taste. This is why I just knew I had to have him on the show so we could geek out about his book Writing Without Rules. But first, a little more about Jeff. Jeff began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. He has since published nine novels, including the noir-scifi novels in the Avery Cates Series, the darkly hilarious crime novel Chum, and most recently tales of blood magic and short cons in the Ustari Cycle, which includes the novel We Are Not Good People and four novellas. He has also published over thirty short stories, including “Ringing the Changes,” which was selected for inclusion in the Best American Mystery Stories 2006, writes about books for Barnes and Noble and about the craft of writing for Writer’s Digest, which also published his book on the craft of writing Writing Without Rules in 2018. He considers pants to always be optional. So listen in as Jeff and I geek out about this awesome book, debunk some of the greatest writing myths in history, and discover exactly why pants should always be optional. In this episode Jeff and I discuss: Why only writing what you know creates boring books. What “show don’t tell” really means. Write every day, the god-emperor of bad writing advice. Solving the mystery of “kill your darlings”. How to expand your vocabulary, without a thesaurus. Plus, Jeff’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/236