Writers, Ink: Your backstage pass to the world's most prolific authors

J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle
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Jan 20, 2026 • 1h 3min

Plotter, pantser, or plantser? Autocrit’s Bekah Brinkmeier breaks it all down.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about a new bestseller list, Matthew McConaughey, and how artists can reclaim foreign rights. Then, stick around for a chat with Bekah Brinkmeier!Bekah Brinkmeier is a USA Today Bestselling author and ghostwriter of more than 90 novels. She works with AutoCrit as an instructor and author coach, leading Team Plantser in the Novel 90 Writing Challenge. She loves helping writers untangle their ideas, build confidence, and turn rough drafts into finished books. When she’s not coaching or writing, she speaks at conferences and on podcasts about writing with ADHD, strategy, full-time author life, and book marketing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Jan 13, 2026 • 1h 3min

Amy Suto and her novel, The Anti-Starving Artist’s Guide to Becoming a Seven-Figure Writer.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Audible, Robert Munsch, and 2026 social media trends. Then, stick around for a chat with Amy Suto!Amy Suto: I’ve devoted my life to the art of storytelling. I graduated from USC’s presitigious film school with a BFA in Writing for Screen and Television. I worked my way up the ranks from agency assistant to being able to write my own episode of TV, fully immersing myself in the art of writing fast-paced thrillers for global audiences. In my spare time, I also created a live events company (Kingdom of Pavement) that I would pivot to a scripted podcast company when the pandemic hit.In 2021, I started traveling the world with friends and leaned even further into my work as a freelance memoir ghostwriter.These days, I balance my freelance work with my own career as a romantasy author. I’ve published three books so far: my how-to book Six-Figure Freelance Writer: A Holistic Guide on Finding Freedom in Freelancing, The Nomad Detective: Volume I, and my debut romantasy novel The Ash Trials. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Jan 6, 2026 • 56min

Christopher Locke explains how IBPA can help authors.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about best-selling books and genres, and cultural works becoming public domain in 2026. Then, stick around for a chat with Christopher Locke!Christopher Locke is the Director of Membership & Member Services at IBPA. He assists the more than 3,000 IBPA members as they travel along their publishing journeys. Major projects include managing the member benefits to curate the most advantageous services for independent publishers and author publishers; managing the Innovative Voices Program that supports publishers from marginalized communities; and hosting the IBPA podcast, “Inside Independent Publishing (with IBPA).” He’s also passionate about indie publishing, because he’s an author publisher himself, having published two novels so far in his YA trilogy, The Enlightenment Adventures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Dec 30, 2025 • 1h 1min

What agents are looking for with Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media Group.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about a 70-year-old debut novelist, new names on fiction bestseller lists, and why certain contract clauses are scary. Then, stick around for a chat with Mark Gottlieb!Mark Owen Gottlieb is an executive vice president and highly ranked literary agent in overall deals and other individual categories. He is actively building his client list of authors using that same initiative and insight for identifying talented writers. Mark Gottlieb is excited to work directly with authors, helping to manage and grow their careers with all of the unique resources available at book publishing’s leading literary agency, Trident Media Group. Mark Gottlieb continues to represent numerous New York Times bestselling and prominent award-winning authors through his work at Trident Media Group. He has optioned and sold books to film and TV production companies. Following his time at Penguin Books, he previously ran the agency’s audiobook department and worked in international rights. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Dec 23, 2025 • 59min

How to Murder Your Darlings with New York Times bestseller, Jenna Blum.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Kindle, Audible, TikTok, and Barnes & Noble. Then, stick around for a chat with Jenna Blum!Jenna Blum is the New York Times and # 1 internationally bestselling author of novels Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers, and The Lost Family; memoir Woodrow on the Bench; audiocourse “The Author at Work: The Art of Writing Fiction” and WWII podcast The Key of Love. Jenna’s fifth book and first psychological thriller, Murder Your Darlings, will be published by HarperCollins in January 2026.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Dec 16, 2025 • 55min

Mastering social media with Magen Mintchev.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Netflix, Entangled, and Kindle. Then, stick around for a chat with Magen Mintchev!Magen Mintchev helps businesses and leaders grow their online influence through Instagram strategy, LinkedIn executive management, content development, and analytics-driven social media support. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Dec 9, 2025 • 1h

Agent Mark Tavani shares publishing and marketing insights.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, JP Rindfleisch, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Smashwords, Edelweiss, and the word of the year. Then, stick around for a chat with Mark Tavani!Mark Tavani started his publishing career in 2000 with Ballantine Books and spent over 23 years with Penguin Random House, Bantam, Del Rey, and G.P. Putnam's Sons. He edited bestsellers and award-winners across numerous categories of fiction and nonfiction, including books by Jim Abbott, Steve Berry, C.J. Box, Robert Crais, Justin Cronin, Clive and Dirk Cussler, Jeffery Deaver, George Dohrmann, Lisa Gardner, Jack McCallum, Lisa Scottoline, Bill Simmons, and R.L. Stine. He represents both fiction and nonfiction.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Dec 2, 2025 • 54min

The impact of direct sales on your local bookstore with Bob Lingle.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about B&T, James Patterson, Bookshop.org, and Barnes & Noble. Then, stick around for a chat with Bob Lingle!Bob Lingle: https://www.instagram.com/bookstorebob/Bob Lingle: "I’ve owned Good Neighbor Bookstore since 2018, and despite everything else going on in the world. It’s been the best years of my life. My three kids have the opportunity to grow up in a bookstore. And collectively we have learned about the power and importance of community, and having a place where we’ve curated stories for people to enjoy, to learn from, to foster empathy, and maybe even change their life." - https://boldjourney.com/meet-bob-lingle/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Nov 25, 2025 • 1h 1min

The importance of character with Richard Kirshenbaum.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Shein, Sourcebooks, and Anthropic. Then, stick around for a chat with Richard Kirshenbaum!Richard Kirshenbaum is CEO of NSG/SWAT, a high-profile boutique branding agency. He has lectured at Harvard Business School, appeared on 20/20, was named to Crain's New York Business's "40 under 40" list, and has been inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame. He is the author of Under the Radar, Closing the Deal, Madboy, andIsn't That Rich? and the New York Observer's "Isn't That Rich?" column. He lives in New York City with his wife and three children. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Nov 18, 2025 • 1h 11min

James Patterson explains why hope is not a strategy, but a little tenacity can take you far.

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Kindle Translate and Spotify's audiobook recaps. Then, stick around for a chat with James Patterson!James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels withBill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient ofan Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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