Write About Now

Veteran journalist Abby Ellin almost married a pathological liar and convicted criminal, but luckily, her reporter's instincts for the truth kicked in, and she averted disaster. Her crazy story is chronicled in her book Duped and podcast Imposters: The Commander. On the show, she talks about falling for the con, discovering the truth, and what the experience taught her about those who deceive.  Subscribe to my newsletter Small Talk @ https://jonathan856.substack.com

Only a few months in, and it's already a bleak year for the media. Journalists lost 500 jobs in January alone, with mass layoffs at the LA Times, Business Insider, Sports Illustrated, and others. I lost my own job at Entrepreneur after working there for five years. But according to my guest Chandra Turner, where one door may be closing, others are swinging wide open. Chandra founded The Talent Fairy, a recruiting agency that places journalists in editorial, brand publishing, and content marketing positions. She sees a bright and lucrative future in content marketing and rejects the belief that these jobs are sellouts. On the pod, she talks about her own career trajectory from magazines editor to job fairy, who's hiring in 2024, and what skills they desire.  Subscribe to my newsletter @ https://jonathan856.substack.com/ Watch the interview @ https://bit.ly/WriteAboutNowYouTube  

In the fall of 2020, a Canadian farmer named Helen Naslund was sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing her violently abusive husband. That case and the lengthy sentence she received sparked tremendous outrage around Canada, exposing serious issues with how the justice system in that country treats abused women. Guest true crime journalist Jana Pruden spoke to Naslund through multiple interviews and letters from prison. It was the first time Helen opened up publicly about what happened that fateful night and everything that came after. Pruden shares this story of unspeakable violence and a woman's fight for her freedom in the critically-acclaimed podcast, In Her Defence.   Read her Globe & Mail story here.  Subscribe to the Small Talk substack

Kristin Hannah is among the most successful American novelists working today. Her books focus on unsung heroines throughout history. Her new novel, The Women, focuses on Army Nurses during the Vietnam War. The pageturner is at once an intimate portrait of a young woman coming of age in a hellish war zone and an epic tale of an American divided during an unpopular war. Hannah talks about the process of writing the book, what she's learned about storytelling as the author of over 20 novels, and how she deals with the fear of failure.  Write About Now listeners are invited to take an online masterclass with host Jonathan Small called Proven Formulas for Writing Stories that Sell on Feb 18 at 1 pm ET. Experienced and first-time writers can sign up @ https://pandemicuniversity.com/product/articles-that-sell/

Jana Monroe was the first female agent to join the agency's famed Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) to help understand who criminals are, how they think, why they do what they do. She even trained Jodie Foster for her role as Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs. Monroe has a new book out called Hearts of Darkness that chronicles her extraordinary career profiling such abhorrent serial killers as Jeffrey Dahmer and Edmund Kemper. On the show, Monroe talks about why she became a serial killer profiler, how she managed to be in such close contact with pure evil, and what she learned about herself and humanity on the job.  Sign up for my article writing masterclass @ https://pandemicuniversity.com/product/articles-that-sell/ Sign up for my substack newsletter @ https://jonathan856.substack.com.

Denise Hutchins and Aaron Quinn are the subject of the current top-rated show on Netflix called 'American Nightmare.' The couple's harrowing kidnapping experience and the police’s baffling response calls into question how the authorities, the press, and local government handled what became known as the real-life “Gone Girl” case. On this episode, Jon revisits his conversation with the couple, who also have a book on their story called 'Victim F. ' Breaking news: Jonathan is teaching an online masterclass on how to write an article that sells. For more information visit: https://pandemicuniversity.com/product/articles-that-sell/

What if I told you that we spend most of our day on auto-pilot? Our brains are using half their potential and generally just respond to crisis after crisis. As a result we are not actively protecting and regulating our brain’s energy to be happier and more productive. That is the thesis behind the work of guest Deb Smolensky who is a “brain trainer” and author of the book Brain On! Mental Fitness Strategies for Sharpening Focus, Boosting Emerging, and Winning the Workday. Deb combines science and anecdotal evidence from her coaching business to help people upgrade their brain power.  We discuss various techniques for getting out of the caveman-ish fight-or-flight mode and allowing your "thinking brain" to rule the day.  Watch the interview on YouTube @writeaboutnowpodcast111 Subscribe to my Substack @Small Talk

Time is the great equalizer. Everyone of us only has 24 hours each day to get things done. How we use that time constructively separates the productive from the procratinators. Guest Laura Vanderkam is a time management expert and the author of six books on the topic, including her latest, Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters. In this episode, she offers smart strategies for getting stuff done more efficiently while also enjoying your life.  Subscribe to my substack @ https://jonathan856.substack.com Watch the interview @ https://bit.ly/WriteAboutNowYouTube Order AG1 @ drinkAG1.com/writeaboutnow  

Jennifer McAdam is a Scottish coal miner's daughter who lost her life's savings to a multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency scam called OneCoin. She even convinced many of her friends to invest before she realized it was all a big lie. But rather than wither away in shame, McAdam fought back, creating an online Victims’ Support Group and taking legal action. Her incredible story is captured in her new book Devil’s Coin: My Battle to Take Down the Notorious OneCoin Cryptoqueen. I interviewed Jennifer on my other podcast "Dirty Money" with my fearless co-host Dan Bova. If you like what you hear, please follow the show for more juicy tales of financial true crime.  Follow Dirty Money @ https://bit.ly/3v1S2yt Order Devil's Coin @ https://amzn.to/3toaUY9

Connell Barrett is a modern-day 'Hitch,' a dating coach who helps lovelorn men approach women, be more confident, and attract a great partner. In his new book Dating Sucks, but You Don't, he offers tips and insights that have "helped thousands of single men date amazing women." We talk about navigating dating in the #Metoo, Tinder world, the best ways to flirt and pay someone a compliment, getting over approach anxiety, and so much more.  Subscribe to my substack @ https://jonathan856.substack.com/ Check out Connell's new book @ https://jonathan856.substack.com/