The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience

#PodcastersForJustice#1 New York Times bestselling author, Mark Greaney, returned to talk about hanging out on the red carpet with Netflix "The Gray Man" stars Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, turning a failed screenplay into a hit audio play, and his latest, "Armored.""Even if you finish a whole book and it doesn't get published, I promise you you're a much better author at the end of that process than you were at the beginning..." – Mark GreaneyMark's debut international thriller, The Gray Man, was published in 2009 and became a national bestseller and highly sought-after Hollywood property. He's released twelve in that series to date including the #1 New York Times bestseller One Minute Out.Netflix has now turned the first book in The Gray Man series into a blockbuster movie starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, available now.His latest is Armored, a novel inspired by the author's popular Audible Original drama. Publishers Weekly wrote that the protagonist, Joshua Duffy, "... proves to be more than just a hardened military tactician. Readers will hope he’ll be back for an encore." A feature film adaptation of Armored is now in development with Sony.Mark is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author or co-author of seven Tom Clancy novels – he co-wrote Clancy’s final three Jack Ryan thrillers prior to his passing.Stay tuned until the show's end for a preview of the Audiobook, audio excerpted courtesy Penguin Random House Audio from Armored by Mark Greaney, read by Adam Gold.Stay calm and write on ...Discover The Writer Files ExtraGet 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your InboxIf you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please "Follow" us to automatically see new interviews.In this file Mark Greaney and I discussed: His 15-year, overnight success How he continues to hit regular deadlines and write two books a year What it was like to see his Gray Man on the big screen  Why it's less important to be 100% accurate than to be entertaining And a lot more! Show Notes:How #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Mark Greaney Writes: Part OneMarkGreaneybooks.comTHE GRAY MAN | Official Trailer | NetflixArmored by Mark Greaney (Amazon Affiliate)Mark Greaney Amazon author pageMark Greaney on InstagramMark Greaney on FacebookMark Greaney on TwitterKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#PodcastersForJusticeNew York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, Sarah Pearse, spoke to me about Agatha Christie's legacy, how to write plausible police procedurals, and the place that inspired her latest, "The Retreat."Sarah Pearse is the author of The Sanatorium, a stunning crime fiction debut, instant New York Times and international bestseller, as well as a Reese’s Book Club selection and critical success.Her second novel, The Retreat, is Book Two in her bestselling Detective Elin Warner series, and another locked-room style thriller People magazine called, "The Shining but with a full house.”New York Times bestselling author Ashley Audrain said of the book, “Sarah Pearse has expertly crafted another eerie, atmospheric thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder as you read. A wonderfully chilling story of grief, revenge, and family secrets. An absorbing escape!”Sarah Pearse studied English literature and creative writing at the University of Warwick before completing a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism and has worked in marketing and publicity for a variety of household brands.Stay calm and write on ...Discover The Writer Files ExtraGet 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your InboxIf you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please "Follow" us to automatically see new interviews.In this file Sarah Pearse and I discussed: The best writing advice she's ever received How this #writermom wrote a bestseller on maternity leave Using folklore, famously haunted, and sacred places in your writing What mind maps and natural descriptions can do for your setting The best way to conquer your nerves and win the day Her thoughts on rejection And a lot more! Show Notes:sarahpearse.co.ukThe Retreat: A Novel by Sarah Pearse (Amazon Affiliate)The Sanatorium: A Novel by Sarah Pearse (Amazon Affiliate)Sarah Pearse on FacebookSarah Pearse on InstagramSarah Pearse on TwitterKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#PodcastersForJusticeAddendum:Hey just a quick addendum on this week's redux, I am out of town this week and enjoying the sweatiest summer of all time with my kids, but I wanted to revisit a fantastic episode with now National Book Award Winner, Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction Winner, Pushcart Prize nominee, NAACP Image Award nominee, and Carnegie Medals For Excellence Longlist nominee Jason Mott. Congrats! Enjoy, I’ll catch you next week with some fresh writerly wisdom.New York Times bestselling author, Jason Mott, took a timeout to talk with me about the high-wire act of building Hell of a Book, talking about race in America, and NOT working with Brad Pitt.Jason is the author of The Returned, a New York Times bestseller that was turned into a TV series that ran for two seasons.His fourth novel is titled Hell of a Book, and is described as a "... funny and honest [work of fiction] that goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans, and America as a whole."The book has been named to dozens of "Must Read" lists for 2021 including Entertainment Weekly, The NY Post, GMA, USA Today, Fortune's 21 Most Anticipated Books Coming out in the Second Half of 2021 and more. Charles Yu, author of National Book Award winner Interior Chinatown called the book, "Playful, searching, raw and necessary..."Jason has BFA in fiction and an MFA in Poetry, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His poetry and fiction have appeared in various literary journals.Stay calm and write on ...Discover The Writer Files ExtraGet 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your InboxIf you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please "Follow" us to automatically see new interviews.In this file Jason Mott and I discussed: What it's like to write a book in your head for a decade Why he dared to dream to become a writer How to build a technically complex novel, draft by draft His study and love of film noir And why writers need to be nicer to themselves Show Notes: JasonMottAuthor.com Hell of a Book: A Novel by Jason Mott Jason Mott Amazon author page Jason Mott on Facebook Jason Mott on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#PodcastersForJustice#1 New York Times bestselling author, Emily Henry, spoke to me about her past life as a YA mid-lister, the Romance Renaissance, writing your way out of darkness, and her latest "Book Lovers."Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read, and has sold over a million copies of her novels.Her latest, Book Lovers, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller, multiple Most Anticipated Read of 2022, and has been described as "... a love story between a by-the-book literary agent and a prickly book editor who fall in love in a small town straight out of a romance movie."New York Times bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid called it “... a rom-com lover's dream of a book," and Emma Straub wrote, “I would follow Emily Henry anywhere. A small town, a literary enterprise, a bookstore to rescue, and ..." other sexy things.Emily's books have been featured in Buzzfeed, Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, The Skimm, Shondaland, and more. Stay calm and write on ...[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get The Writer Files Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]In this file Emily Henry and I discussed: What it's like to live in a "lightning strike" Watching your friends succeed wildly Making Romance more accessible to the masses  The secrets behind Hallmark Christmas movies How to wake, Wordle, and write 2000 words a day And a lot more! [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]Show Notes:emilyhenrybooks.comBook Lovers by Emily Henry (Amazon Affiliate) Emily Henry Amazon Author Page (Amazon Affiliate)Emily Henry on InstagramKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#PodcastersForJusticeNew York Times bestselling author, Ashley Poston, spoke to me about her pivot away from YA, the importance of fan fiction, and her paranormal romance debut "The Dead Romantics."Ashley Poston’s bestselling YA novels have been featured by Teen Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, and more.Her highly-anticipated pivot to romance is The Dead Romantics, a story about a millennial ghostwriter who believes romance is dead, a humorous and heartfelt novel with a fresh, slightly supernatural hook.  The New York Times Bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club Pick has been called "‘While You Were Sleeping’ meets ‘Six Feet Under,'" by the NY Times, and bestselling author Emma Straub called it, "Smart, quick, and absolutely bubbling over with love for the genre of romance itself. Delicious.”Ashley Poston has spent the last decade in the publishing industry as a social media coordinator, a marketing designer, and finally an author.Stay calm and write on ...[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get The Writer Files Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]In this file Ashley Poston and I discussed: Her work behind the curtain in publishing What it's like to be a GMA Book Club Pick  How to stay in love with writing Why graveyards have curfews The power of deadlines And a lot more! [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]Show Notes:ashposton.comThe Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (Amazon Affiliate)Ashley Poston Amazon Author Page (Amazon Affiliate)How New York Times Bestselling Author & Mortician Caitlin Doughty WritesAshley Poston on TwitterAshley Poston on InstagramKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#PodcastersForJusticeNew York Times bestselling author, Eleanor Brown, spoke to me about the difference between writers and authors, why adoptive families are just like any other family, and her latest novel "Any Other Family."Eleanor Brown's critically acclaimed debut novel, The Weird Sisters, was a New York Times and #1 international bestseller with over half a million copies sold. The novel earned excellent reviews from The New York Times, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, People, USA Today, and more.Her latest is Any Other Family, a novel "...about four children, three adoptive mothers, and one complicated, unforgettable family." Kirkus Reviews described it as, "A prismatic story of family, adoption, and how the people we choose to keep close shape who we are.”Eleanor is also an anthologist, editor, teacher, speaker, and adoptive mother herself. She teaches writing workshops and conferences nationwide, including for The Writers' Table and Lighthouse Writers workshops in Colorado.Stay calm and write on ...In this file Eleanor Brown and I discussed: Her 15-year overnight success Why she doesn't read her reviews On becoming an adoptive mother and open adoption Why novelists have to outline at some point How to start with a destination in mind And why you need to start calling yourself a "writer" And a lot more! Show Notes:eleanor-brown.comAny Other Family by Eleanor Brown (Amazon Affiliate)Eleanor Brown Amazon Author Page (Amazon Affiliate)The Book Project - LighthouseWriters.orgKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#PodcastersForJusticeNew York Times bestselling author, and screenwriter-producer, Dennis Lehane, spoke to me about what he learned from Clint Eastwood, working on "Mr. Mercedes" with David E. Kelley, and his new Apple TV+ show "Black Bird."Dennis Lehane is the bestselling author of 13 novels including four adapted into films of the same name: 2003's Academy Award-winning film Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood; 2007's Gone Baby Gone; 2010's Shutter Island directed by Martin Scorsese, and 2016’s Live by Night directed by Ben Affleck.His latest is the limited Apple TV+ series, Black Bird, described as a "...fascinating, ripped-from-the headlines story [and] true-crime drama..." based on the 2010 memoir by James Keene and Hillel Levin, In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption."Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton), cuts a deal with the FBI to enter maximum-security prison for the criminally insane and befriend a suspected serial killer, Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser)."Black Bird premieres globally with the first two episodes on Friday, July 8, followed by one new episode weekly every Friday.Lehane was a staff writer on the acclaimed HBO series "The Wire," worked as a writer-producer on HBO’s "Boardwalk Empire," the Netflix series, "Bloodline," and was a writer and producer on the television adaptation of Stephen King’s "Mr. Mercedes."Stay calm and write on ...[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get The Writer Files Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]In this file Dennis Lehane and I discussed: Why he sucked at everything except writing and playing pool How he landed a literary agent while parking cars Dealing with impostor syndrome early on How he prefers screenwriting to novel writing today Why narcissists have no place on a TV set And a lot more! [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]Show Notes:Black Bird | Apple TV+Dennis Lehane on IMDbDennis Lehane Amazon Author Page (Amazon Affiliate)In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene and Hillel Levin (Amazon Affiliate)Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times bestselling thriller writer Riley Sager, spoke to me about why he publishes under a pen name, how to write Hitchcockian suspense, and his latest "The House Across the Lake." Riley Sager is the bestselling author of six novels, most recently Home Before Dark and Survive the Night. His award-winning first novel, Final Girls, was a national and international bestseller that has been published in 30 countries. His latest novel, The House Across the Lake, has been named a most anticipated summer book by People, E! News, PureWow, CNN.com, CrimeReads, and many others.  It's been described by CrimeReads as "... a psychological thriller version of The Great Gatsby, featuring binoculars for more accurate across-the-lake spying, smaller gatherings for a shorter list of suspects, and a truly bat**** twist for more satisfying consumption." The House Across the Lake was inspired by Riley's "... own pandemic escapes to a cabin in rural Vermont [and] oozes with slow-burn Hitchcockian suspense before building to a finale that will leave readers reeling. " [Discover ⁠⁠The Writer Files Extra⁠⁠: Get 'The Writer Files' Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at ⁠⁠writerfiles.fm⁠⁠] [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please ⁠⁠click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews⁠⁠. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen] Stay calm and write on ... In this file Riley Sager and I discussed: The albatross of bad sales early in your career Why his process changes from book to book How to turn common genre tropes on their head What happens to his social life as deadlines loom Taking inspiration from classic film And a lot more! Show Notes: rileysagerbooks.com The House Across the Lake: A Novel by Riley Sager (Amazon Affiliate) Riley Sager Amazon Author Page (Amazon Affiliate) Riley Sager on Facebook Riley Sager on Instagram Riley Sager on TikTok Kelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#PodcastersForJusticeBestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner, Geraldine Brooks, spoke to me about why "truth is stranger than fiction," letting story drive narrative, and the overheard conversation that led to her latest, "Horse."Geraldine Brooks is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel March and the international bestsellers The Secret Chord, Caleb’s Crossing, People of the Book, and Year of Wonders (recently optioned by Olivia Colman).Her latest novel, Horse, is described as "... a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history." TIME magazine said of the book, "Horse isn’t just an animal story—it’s a moving narrative about race and art."Geraldine has also written acclaimed nonfiction works including Nine Parts of Desire and Foreign Correspondence. She started out as a reporter in her hometown, Sydney, and went on to cover conflicts as a Wall Street Journal correspondent in Bosnia, Somalia, and the Middle East.Stay calm and write on ...[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get The Writer Files Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]In this file Geraldine Brooks and I discussed: Her early years as a war correspondent Why she chose to write a braided narrative based on an overheard conversation Reading history to find verisimilitude Empathy in fiction Writing through a pandemic And a lot more! [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]Show Notes:GeraldineBrooks.comHorse: A Novel by Geraldine Brooks (Amazon Affiliate)Geraldine Brooks Amazon Author Page (Amazon Affiliate)Geraldine Brooks on FacebookGeraldine Brooks on TwitterKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#PodcastersForJusticeSeven-time Emmy nominee and co-creator of the hit TV series "How I Met Your Mother," Carter Bays, spoke to me about working with David Letterman, being a recovering TV writer, and his debut novel "The Mutual Friend." Carter Bays is best known as the co-creator of the sitcom How I Met Your Mother which ran on CBS for nine seasons. A companion series, How I Met Your Father, starring Hilary Duff, premiere on Hulu in 2022.His latest is The Mutual Friend, described as a "... thought-provoking debut novel set in New York City, following a sprawling cast of characters as they navigate life, love, loss, ambition, and spirituality — without ever looking up from their phones."A starred Kirkus review called the book, "... a perfect summer beach read, but one that deserves serious awards consideration as well," and NY Times bestselling author Clare Pooley called the book “... the most extraordinary and beguiling novel I’ve read in years."Stay calm and write on ...[Discover The Writer Files Extra: Get The Writer Files Podcast Delivered Straight to Your Inbox at writerfiles.fm]In this file Carter Bays and I discussed: Why working on the Late Show with David Letterman was a comedy MFA How to get a laugh When he finds the time to write fiction The use of Easter eggs and twists in narrative structure Why you need to get your work in front of strangers And a lot more! [If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click FOLLOW to automatically see new interviews. And drop us a rating or a review wherever you listen]Show Notes:carterbays.comThe Mutual Friend: A Novel by Carter Bays [Amazon Affiliate]Carter Bays on IMDbCarter Bays on FacebookCarter Bays on InstagramCarter Bays on TwitterKelton Reid on Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices